[Gamer's Review] Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition - Part 1

Tiamat, Queen of the Dragons | Image Courtesy of Enworld

I know it's been awhile since I last reviewed a game, so I figured I would do something new with this post- review a table-top role playing game.  Now, for those of you unfamiliar with TTRPGs (which given the nature of this blog and the audience it would attract if it indeed attracted an audience is pretty slim), they are games wherein a group of people, usually ranging from 3-6, come together and use a set of rules to tell a story together.  Each game usually has a Dungeon Master (or Game Master) that works on the general frame of the story and presents challenges to the players, and 2-5 players that creature characters that interact with the world the DM has created.  Together they tell a story, usually one that isn't even remotely close to the one the DM wanted to tell (I'm looking at your RYAN!).

Even those unfamiliar with how a table-top role-playing game works probably still know what Dungeons and Dragons is, or have at least heard of it.  After all, the game has the brand recognition that few others can match.  It's left as much an impact, if not a great impact, in our collective conscious as Pikachu and Mario.

Here we have a Lv 9 Human Monk fighting a Dire Rat blessed by Thor. | Image Courtesy of The Mushroom Kingdom

Now Dungeons and Dragons (or D&D as it is more commonly called), has gone through many different versions, known as editions.  It started out with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's original version of Dungeons and Dragons, which was published in 1974, and underwent several changes including Basic Dungeons and Dragons, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition, Dungeons and Dragons 3.0 (and later 3.5), Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition, Pathfinder (it's D&D and we all know it), and finally Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.  Many other games that were inspired by D&D or designed to play with a similar feel were also created, such as Pelgrane Press' 13th Age.

But now that we're done linking to a bunch of Wikipedia pages, let's get down to business with this article before you all close your browsers and move on to 4chan and Reddit to complain about Gamergate (Ha!  A timely cultural reference from a blogger that only posts once every two years!  That'll sure date this article in three years when it's finally read!).

Alright, seriously, we're going to buckle down now and actually review Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.  Now I've been playing D&D since I was sixteen when none other than Cameron Lawrence himself invited me to join his game of D&D (3.5).  One cringe-worthy backstory later and I was Ashiel Dragmire, half-elven sorcerer sent on a quest to recover some hobbit's treasure or something like that.

This?  I'm pretty sure it was this. | Image Courtesy of G4TV.com

Anyway, it only took about five minutes before I was in love.  I spent the ensuring seven years learning everything I could about D&D- the mechanics, the lore, how to optimize my own characters while simultaneously learning how to beat down players who tried to break my games with their own over-powered characters.  I observed Cameron's DM style, as well as the style of our other DM Nate, and tweaked them to create my own way of running games.  As a writer by hobby (and hopefully one day by trade so I can plug articles like this with links to my work), I wasn't worried about telling a story.  I had countless worlds floating around in my head and it wasn't hard to slap some mechanics to them and set my players loose.

Eventually I moved to college and met a new gaming group and picked up on how to play Pathfinder, which wasn't so different than D&D 3.5.  I never got into 4th Edition, mostly because I missed the session that my original gaming group used to test it (they weren't the biggest fans) and my new group's DM had an absolute loathing of it.  I played that for several years before finally joining the Dungeons and Dragons Next playtest.  My buddy Ryan and I created characters (I was, and continue to be, a human rogue while he plays a paladin of Wee Jas) and drove three hours to Scranton, PA for MEPACon, which if you're in the Pennsylvania area I highly recommend going to.  Affordable, some great people there, and all-in-all it's a lot of fun.

YOUNG MAN YOU WILL STOP PLUGGING AND LINKING AND START REVIEWING! | Image Courtesy of Jesus-Is-Savior.com

So Ryan and I had our freshly-rolled characters and a set of rules that at many points seemed very contradictory, but hey, it was a playtest so we understood.  Once we got to playing we found the game to be a little slow and clunky in places.  The DMs at the convention had us take notes about their adventures and the mechanics in general after each 4-hour gaming slot, and when we returned next fall we were given packets with several updates that made for a smoother, more fluid game.  Some old things we liked were taken out, but several newer and better mechanics were added in.  It continued on like this until finally the playtest was closed.  The long wait for the Player's Handbook began...

When the Player's Handbook finally hit the shelves I bought a copy and poured over it.  I was immediately in love.  All the things that I liked from the playtest were there (somethings were nerfed a little more than I liked, but I wasn't about to get all up in arms on the Internet about it.  Wait...) and several new mechanics I wouldn't have even thought of were added in.  At a glance the classes and races appeared rather well-balanced, and several new backgrounds were added in to provide even more options for players.

The Races

 

The Tiefling, a personal favorite of mine and a welcome addition to the PHB | Image Courtesy of Enworld

There are four "core" races in D&D 5e: Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, and Humans.  These represent the four main races that can be found in just about any published Dungeons and Dragons setting without standing out.  Each of the non-human races has at least two sub-race options, allowing players to further customize their character within its race.  For example, a dwarf can either be a hardier hill dwarf, or a stronger mountain dwarf while an elf can either be a magical high elf, wilderness-savvy wood elf, or vile drow.  Humans have the option of using a variant human rule that makes them more akin to 3.X's human race, giving them a free bonus feat and two skill proficiencies at the cost of reduced ability score bonuses.  It's probably the best race option in the game, as feats and skills are immensely powerful and important.

In addition to the four core races there are dragonborn (totally different from the character you've played in Skyrim, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and tieflings.  They are separated from the other four races as they are treated as "unusual" races that may not be present or appropriate for all games and settings.  Due to their more unique natures, these races don't have any sub-race options, at least not in the Player's Handbook.

Overall I was satisfied with the amount of race options in the Player's Handbook.  There were more for me to choose from than in the 3.5 or Pathfinder's Player's Guides, which means I have to do less pleading to get my DM to let me play something uncommon like a tiefling or dragonborn.

The Classes

The Warlock, a unique caster that takes traits from multiple warlock incarnations throughout D&D's history. | Image Courtesy of Enworld

Next up are the classes.  Right away I was impressed with the number of options I had at my disposal.  While there was only one "new" class compared to the PHBs I was used to, it just felt like I had a nearly unlimited number of choices- probably the result of the rather limited choices I was left with in the playtest for this edition.  I could choose anything from the anger-management needing barbarian to the whimsical bard to the wizened cleric to the hippie druid.  I could even be a monk, and more importantly not suck.  Yes, the classes were actually balanced!

Well, mostly.  So far in my time playing 5e as both a player and a Dungeon Master I've found that spellcasting classes are still a little more powerful than non-casting classes, but it's more due to their increased versatility rather than straight damage.  Fighters received a much-needed boost with their Battle Master and Eldritch Knight Specializations, and even monks can use ki to "cast spells."  While basically giving everyone the ability to use magic is a cheap way to balance the game, it is effective and so far I haven't felt as if my character can't contribute to the party, nor as a DM have I seen any one class shine brighter than the rest.

The thing I like most about each class is the option to choose between two or three specializations (clerics and wizards have a larger number of domains or schools to choose from, but the differences are more subtle).  Much like Pathfinder's Archetypes and 3.X's Alternative Class Features, a specialization allows you to narrow your character's focus and give them some cool abilities that not all members of their class might have.  For example, as a rogue you can be a guild thief, an assassin, or an arcane trickster.  As a thief you become more mobile and stealthy, making it easier to sneak up on others and rob them blind as well as survive in dungeons.  Assassins gain the ability to blend in with the crowd and a powerful death attack that allows them to deal even more sneak attack damage (which has been greatly boosted in this edition of Dungeons and Dragons).  Finally, arcane tricksters learn how to cast a few spells and use them in unusual ways to gain an edge in combat.

The specializations aren't quite as balanced as the classes, and it's pretty clear which specializations are superior to others (I'm looking at you Champion.  God you were a disappointment.).  While it's a shame that the same amount of effort wasn't put into the specializations as the classes themselves, I don't think it'll ruin the game in the long-run.  Each class has at least two specializations that are viable.  Hopefully when the Dungeon Master's Guide is released it will come with some new specializations for those classes who don't have as many (*cough cough* sorcerer and barbarian *cough cough*).

The Backgrounds

The Soldier Background, a common choice amongst Fighters, or so I have found. | Image Courtesy of Enworld

While I was originally going to review all of the 5th Edition material I've encountered so far in this article, I'm already at 1,723 words (not including captions!), so I'll wrap up after this section.  Backgrounds were not something I expected from Dungeons and Dragons, but boy am I ever glad to see them!  They're a great tool for new and veteran gamers alike, making it easier for neophyte dungeon delvers to flesh out their characters beyond "I'm a fighter with a sword and I like to kill things, drink ale, collect gold, and make love to beautiful women."

Not that there is anything wrong with that! | Image Courtesy of Collider.com

There are several backgrounds ranging from the Soldier pictured above to the acolyte of the faith to the sly charlatan to the rugged outlander.  Each background provides several proficiencies, either in skills or tools, additional gear that might come in handy in your adventures, and a unique ability that, while rarely provides a mechanical benefit, has a nice role-playing ability or hook.  For instance, a folk hero can more easily find shelter amongst the common people.  There is no mechanical benefit (he doesn't get a +2 to the roll or gain advantage), the DM and the player role-play the encounter between the player's character and the smallfolk whose aid he is trying to gain.

Many of the background also have an alternate background option, such as the guild merchant option for the guild artisan background.  The alternate option might have a slightly different set of proficiencies and different fluff, but it is too similar to the base background to warrant being an independent background choice.  While a nice addition to the playtest's set of backgrounds, I didn't feel as if they brought a whole lot to the table (Hell, I was a guild merchant before it was even a thing!).  Like with the class specializations, I hope that the Dungeons Master's Guide will come with more backgrounds.

I apologize for not getting around to reviewing more of D&D 5e's many, many options, but I feel like I've already used up enough of your time.  Join me next week and we'll look over feats, spells, and the Monster Manual!  Now before I go, I'll leave you with this fantastic video.  This actually happens every time a game of Dungeons and Dragons is played.  Seriously.  Every.  Time.

You can download the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Basic Rules for free here, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast.  Wasn't that nice of them?

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[Gaming on a Budget] The Kingdom of Loathing, Where an Adventurer is You

Kingdom of Loathing is a turn-based role-playing game created by Asymmetric Publications.  The premise of the game is simple enough: you're an adventurer traveling through the magical Kingdom of Loathing in search of wealth (in this case piles of meat), power, and fame.  How you accomplish this goal depends on which class you select upon character creation.

The six character classes (described on the website as "intoxicating and intoxicated") are the Turtle Tamer, Seal Clubber, Pastamancer, Sauceror, Disco Bandit, and Acordian Thief.  If you haven't realized this already, the Kingdom of Loathing does not take itself very seriously.

As in most RPGs, the Kingdom of Loathing also makes use of an ability score system.  Unlike in most RPGs however, the Kingdom of Loathing's ability scores are not things like "Strength," "Vitality," and "Wisdom," but are instead "Muscle," "Mysticality," and "Moxie."  Increasing the key ability for your class results in gaining levels and unlocking new powers.

I chose to embark upon my adventure as a Seal Clubber, so my experiences with this game will be from that perspective.  After tinkering around with the game for a few minutes to familiarize myself with the controls once more I set out to climb to the Icy Peak of Mt. McLarge Huge.

The Dangerous Mt. McLargeHuge, home of eXtreme sports enthusiasts, snowman ninjas, and goats alike. | Image Courtesy of Asymmetric Publications

After I climbed to the mist-shrouded peaks of Mt. McLargeHuge I had to fight my way past several frightened yetis that kept knocking me down.  The game assured me that this was quite annoying, and I was unable to disagree.  After getting run over by three yetis, I finally made it to the very top of the mountain where I met the mighty Groar in battle.

The mighty Groar vs. the (hopefully) mightier Tempestman!  Surely battle for the bards to sing about! | Images Courtesy of Asymmetric Publications

We exchanged blows, I with my mighty Drowsy Sword and he with his claws and frigid breath attacks.  I finally defeated him with my special maneuver (the Seal Clubber's trademark "Thrust-Smack") and harvested his skin like any good animal murderer would do.  With my foe smote in ruin before me Balrog-style, I climbed down the mountain to continue my most noble of quests.

While the description of that battle may have made the battle seem epic and victory difficult to achieve, I assure you that it was not.  All I really had to do was click on a few buttons and the screen and before I knew it the mighty Groar was dead before my feet.

Gameplay

The Kingdom of Loathing uses several different parts to make up its gameplay.  Each character has different abilities, skills, and equipment that determine his or her strengths and weaknesses.  Each day a character can go on 50 Adventures, although there are ways to get more without waiting. Finally there is the combat system itself.

An Adventure is best described as a turn or an action.  Each day you're given 50 Adventures (signified by the hourglass symbol beneath your character), which means you can do about 50 different things before you have to wait until the next day.  Some tasks (such as going on vacation) require more than one Adventure to accomplish.  Eating food and drinking alcohol can replenish a few Adventures each day, but if you drink too much you'll wind up doing something you'll regret (much like in real life!).  If you don't play the game for a few days you'll find that your Adventures accumulate each day until you max out at 200 Adventures.

The ladies love how muscley I am. | Image Courtesy of Asymmetric Publications

Each character has three abilities: Muscle (your strengthliness and fortitude), Mysticality (your mysteriousness and wizardliness), and Moxie (your chutzpah and roguishness).  Muscle is the primary stat for the Seal Clubber and Turtle Tamer classes and helps determine your total Hit Points.  Mysticality is the primary stat for Pastamancers and Saucerors and determines how many MP you have to use special skills.  Moxie is the main stat for the Accordion Thief and Disco Bandit classes and determines your ability to dodge attacks and how much damage you take from attacks that hit you.  You gain levels in the game by increasing your main stat, which happens over the course of your adventures and from special items.

Finally there's the ever-important combat.  Those of you familiar with the Pokémon Gameboy and Nintendo DS games released by Nintendo (and I'm hoping that people reading a blog about video games have at least a passing knowledge of one of the most successful video game franchises) will find the combat system to be rather familiar.

Since the entire game is more-or-less text-based (I hope you like reading), combat isn't very active.  Once you happen across a monster you're given a few options: "Attack with your [weapon]," "Use Item," and "Use Skill."

The pop-culture references never fail to amuse me. | Image Courtesy of Asymmetric Publications

I've found that as a Seal Clubber most of my problems can be solved with the first option.  Anything that can't be killed with a regular attack from my sword can usually be taken care of with a Thrust-Smack.  Other classes have their own ways of solving disputes, such as the Turtle Tamer's shell auras and the Accordion Thief's songs.

Once you've chosen which method of attack you wish to use, the game will determine how effective it was and then have the monster attack you in return.  This back-and-forth will continue until you're victorious or sent home to lick your wounds.  Should you survive (and the survival rate of most adventurers is actually pretty high), you'll be given your precious loot, which is usually in the form of meat (the game's currency), one or two minor items, and occasionally an important or powerful quest item or weapon.

The game isn't that hard to figure out, although the sheer amount of things you can do and loot you can acquire can be overwhelming at first.  However, once you get used to it, Kingdom of Loathing becomes a great game that can be played for a few minutes in your spare time.  Just don't play it during class or at an important meeting.

Best Pop Culture Reference

The Kingdom of Loathing is chock-full of pop culture references, which really help set the unapologetically sarcastic tone of the game.  So far one of my favorite references in the game is the Meatloaf Helmet, a piece of armor that can be worn to increase your resistance against stench damage (I did mention that this game doesn't take itself too seriously, right?)

Meatloaf Helmet- This is a helmet made of meatloaf.  Mmmmm.  You feel like a Bat out of Hell when you wear it.  You would do anything for this hat (but you won't do that.)

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[Gaming On a Budget] Slender

After taking another hiatus from my journalistic pursuits (to continue all that romancing and Great American novel writing I told you all so much about in my last post), I've decided to come back and write another article for our "Gaming On a Budget" section.  Since I figure the six-member audience this blog has is comprised mostly of college students, graduate students, and post-college/graduate students, the amount of money in our collective pockets probably isn't enough to buy the latest and greatest video game that just hit the market.  I just want to point out now that I do not consider Madden NFL 13 to be the latest and greatest video game.  Anyway, let's get the meat of the article.

Image Courtesy of Gameranx

Slender is a free game developed by Parsec Productions, an indie game developer, based on the Slender Man meme that has become all the rage on the Internet thanks to games like Slender and the YouTube video series "Marble Hornets."  For those of you who don't know who or what the Slender Man is, allow me to enlighten you.

"Hello children!" "Hey Slender Man!" | Know Your Meme

Slender Man is a tall, gangly (if not well-dressed and somewhat posh and dapper) humanoid with abnormally long arms and a featureless white face.  He can elongate or shorten his arms, and it is rumored that tentacles sprout from his back.  While this might seem scary enough such as it is, Slender Man can also cause memory loss, insomnia, paranoia, and coughing fits in people (much like these popular pills).  He also distorts audio and video, making it almost impossible to catch him on film.

There isn't much of a story line for Slender, you simply appear in the woods at night armed with nothing more than your wits and a flashlight.  The controls aren't very complex.  Moving the mouse allows you to look around, the WASD keys control your movement, holding down Shift lets you run for a brief period of time, the left and right mouse buttons let you pick up pages or turn your flashlight off and on respectively.

The goal is to collect eight pages scattered across the forest before the Slender Man catches you.  It starts off easy enough, with the Slender Man not moving too fast and the forest being pretty easy to navigate

Just like Brittany, Slender Man just wants to be left alone. | Up to Down

As you continue exploring the forest trying to find the different pages you may start to notice some things.  The fog might start to get thicker, making it hard to navigate through the trees.  You'll find that you can't run as long or as fast.  Maybe your flashlight's battery will die, leaving you alone in the dark.  Then you'll start to notice the screen getting fuzzy...

That's your cue to run.  If you're familiar with the Slender Man mythos (or if you read my brief and informative section about the Slender Man about three paragraphs up) you know what that means: Slendy is near.  When that happens holding Shift will allow you to run even faster so that you can try to escape Slender Man, but it comes at the permanent cost of your stamina.  Running from the Slender Man is physically and emotionally taxing and you can only take so much before you finally succumb.

If you're lucky you'll be able to escape from the Slender Man and continue your quest to find the different pages.  However, if you're like me during my second play through you'll notice the visual tearing and run...

He is a very dapper dresser! |  Softonic

... Right into the Slender Man's waiting arms.

I'm not going to tell you what happens if you manage to collect all eight pages.  You can either play the game or go to some other website for that information.  I will, however, recommend that you play the game while sitting alone in your room with all the lights off and as little outside noise as possible.  It really helps set the mood that Slender is aiming for.

I definitely recommend giving Slender a try, especially if you're a fan of psychological horror games.  Nothing else has quite made me jump or scream (if you can call the noise that came out of my fear-distorted face a scream) like Slender.  You can download Slender for free here.

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[Gamer's Review] The Sims 3

Oh yeah. You read that correctly. I played the Sims. And what's more - I enjoyed it.

I recently had the opportunity to interview with EA: Salt Lake, so I decided to prepare for the interview process by diving into a game I’m only somewhat familiar with – The Sims 3. The Sims franchise focuses on the lives of simulated people as the go about their day-to-day activists. You, the player, effectively act as a deity that can control their actions and alter their world. As a side note: I've only played the game with NO additional expansions or "stuff" packs.

The Sims 3 cover art - www.wikipedia.org

Character creation screen | video.agaclip.com

In the Sims 3, there is a lot you can do. When you start the game, you first have to create your Sim(s). Here, you can customize everything from appearance to personality, by giving them up to 5 traits, which dictate a plethora of in-game actions available to the Sim ranging from what conversation options are available to how the Sim interacts with household objects. On my play through, I chose to create an aspiring musician, Luke, who has as much charisma as he has musical talent. He lives with his fiancé, Jamie, who is an excitable Sim aspires to be a top-level journalist, and Luke’s brother, John, who I created with the intention of being a good guy who eventually turns into an evil police detective, even though that didn’t pan out entirely.

After creating your Sims, you must purchase a house. The initial house I picked was just a simple small place that had no distinguishing features, other than its one-story design. At first, I didn’t really care for this aspect of the game, so I thought any house would do since I had to have one. Eventually, I came to really love putting additions on my house. I converted my one-floor dwelling into a two-story house that nearly doubled the value of it.

Live Mode: This dude is cookin'! | www.bit-tech.net

After purchasing a house, the actual game play begins. Now, you have three modes – Live, Buy, and Build. In Live mode, you simply watch your Sims live out their lives and controlling what they do next by queuing a line of actions for them to take. Sometimes, life necessities (such as using the bathroom or eating) may take precedence over your commands, but once that action is complete, the Sim returns to doing your bidding.

In addition to having life-long goals, such as Jamie’s desire to reach level 10 in the Journalism career, your Sims also have the simpler more immediate desires. These smaller wishes can be promised or dismissed by you and, if you complete a promised wish, the Sim will gain Lifetime Reward points, which can be used to purchase passive character upgrades, such as the “Attractive” trait, which helps when trying to gain friends quickly, or super-unique items like the Teleportation Pad.

Build Mode: I'm SO doing that next time I play | guides.ign.com

In Buy mode, you have the option to furnish your Sim’s house with a variety of objects including sofas, bathroom fixtures, and entertainment items like guitars or easels.

In Build mode, you can expand or contract your house. This includes adding doors, staircases, windows, wallpaper, and more to your home. Beware, this may cost a pretty penny so don’t just go building without any idea or you may find yourself out of Simoleons (the Sims currency) very quickly.

Seems like a lot of information doesn't it? Don't worry. The game does a great job of explaining how its mechanics work and offering additional insight where necessary. In fact, it's probably one of the best tutorial systems I've ever used in a game. Normally I just mess around until I get it, but the tutorials here take literally one minute to read and save me what would've been twenty minutes of aggravation and confusion.

The first two weeks of my Sims lives were the hardest, getting acclimated to cleaning up and organizing the house, increasing skills, and trying to maintain and advance in a career was a challenge.  Luckily, my Sims did it, for the most part. One of the most interesting aspects of the game was the reality that didn’t quite sink in when I decided which careers my Sims would take. Early on, Jamie wished that she’d marry Luke, and I promised she would. At this point, I knew I had to establish their relationship and improve their interactions so that one another would become closer. This was hard to do, however, when Jamie got home from work as soon as Luke left. By the time he returned home, she was already in bed so she could be ready for work the next morning. This provided a particularly interesting challenge and possible story line, as Jamie and John began spending more time together than Luke and Jamie. 

sims.wikia.com

The great thing about this game is the sheer amount of replayability. Granted, you will be using the same mechanics over and over through each play through, but you have the freedom to craft the story as you see fit. Don’t like how your Sim’s life is turning out? Try to spice things up by making your neighborhood mirror the script of a Desperate Housewives episode. Bored because your Sims just go to work and don’t do anything fun? Skip work. Skip work every day. See what happens. You have the freedom to do whatever you like and, what makes it all the more appealing, if something does go wrong, you can just start over and try it a different way.

One of the more controversial aspects of the games is the price and amount of expansion packs. While I certainly understand why EA does it from a business standpoint, it’s difficult to handle as a consumer – especially if you don’t purchase expansion packs as they come out. In order to get all the content and have access to everything I’d have to pay over $130. I guess that’s the price you pay for updates. One aspect that eases the blow is that fact that each expansion pack is essentially a new town – not just new careers or objects. In fact, most expansion packs completely overhaul the gameplay and make it new and exciting again. 

All in all, the Sims is an exciting adventure into a large world of endless possibilities and choices. It may not be for everyone, but I’d recommend you give it a try just to see if it captivates you because I think you’d be surprised.

For more information check out the Sims wiki at: sims.wikia.com and Carl's Sims 3 page at http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/

Thanks for reading!

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[Gamer’s Review] Portal 2

Hey readers. I know it’s been a while but I’m back with an exciting article on a game I recently got to play for the first time: Portal 2.  

Image courtesy of usatoday.net

Chell with the Portal Gun | portalgame.wikia.com

In case you haven’t played Valve’s innovative title or its predecessor, the Portal series focuses on you (playing the role of Chell, the mute protagonist) in a test facility ran by Aperture Science. In the first game, you are awakened from stasis to complete tests in order to receive the ultimate prize: CAKE! I know, cake doesn’t sound like a great prize… but supposedly it’s very delicious cake! 

The title is mainly a puzzle game designed in the manner of First-Person Shooter, but unlike other FPS titles, this one has one gun with unlimited ammo that does no direct damage. This weapon is called the Portal Gun, a firearm that can shoot two different portals (one orange, one blue) that are used to solve puzzles and advance through the story.

WARNING: THE NEXT SECTION FEATURES MINOR SPOILERS FROM THE FIRST PORTAL GAME

GLaDOS | gamespot.com

In the first game features Chell solving numerous test chambers, all the while taunted by the narrator and antagonist GLaDOS, who promises cake upon our hero’s successful completion of testing. The cake is a lie, however. At the end of her testing, it is revealed that Chell is to be terminated, having no further use to the “logic”-bound robots. Unsatisfied with this fate, she is able to think quickly and use the Portal Gun to escape certain doom. Before the game’s credits roll, Chell manages to find GLaDOS’s chamber and “kill” her in one of the coolest fights in a game ever! GLaDOS isn’t dead for good though…

 END SPOILERS FOR PORTAL

The second game features Chell (in the single-player mode) solving more puzzles - this time in an attempt to escape the facility with the help of Wheatley, a neurotic little robot with a good sense of humor. As the story unfolds, GLaDOS regains life and a lot of things spin out of control… but I won’t spoil that for you.

Propulsion Gel (from E3 2010 Demo) | games.softpedia.com

One of the most exciting gameplay additions comes in the form of three gels: Repulsion, Propulsion, and Conversion. Each gel offers a new spin on solving puzzles and is quite necessary for the remainder of the game. Repulsion, for example, acts as sort of a “jumping pad” reflecting the speed at which you connect with it and repelling you with the same velocity. Propulsion gel, on the other hand, acts as sort of a “speed boost” (if you’ve played any Mario Kart games or other similar racing titles – that’s Propulsion gel). The final gel, which comes in a bright white color, turns any surface it touches into a wall on which a Portal can be created. On their own, this totally amplifies gameplay and, together, completely alters it. If any of this seems complicated, do not fret! The game does an excellent job introducing every new gameplay element and ensuring that players understand how the gels work without handing them the solutions to puzzles.

Aperture Science robots, ATLAS and P-body | gamehounds.net

Another feature the sequel of Portal has is a co-op mode that allows a group of two to solve puzzles together as Aperture Science robots ATLAS and P-body. Unfortunately, I have not yet delved into this story line, but I hopefully will have a chance to in the future. From what I know, however, is that two players simultaneously solve puzzles together creating up to four portals (essentially two "sets" of portals) and that the players can communicate in-game via gestures.

The game is relatively short (for the single-player mode) which is great for any of you gamers that don’t have 40+ hours to delve into a title but still want a rich story with interesting and challenging gameplay. I’d highly recommend Portal 2 (and its predecessor) to anyone with a love for puzzles and logic, and especially to those who enjoy innovative titles with a heavy dose of humor. Oh, and the song at the end if priceless!

Congratulations Valve. This game really was a triumph.

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[Gaming On a Budget] Strike Force Heroes

It's been awhile since I last sat down and wrote an article.  While I'd love to say it was because I've been spending most of my time working, romancing my girlfriend, writing the next Great American Novel, or spending quality time with friends and family, it's really not.  Not that I haven't been doing that (because I totally have, ask anyone), it's mostly because the semester ended and I was tired of doing anything related to journalism and also because I'm lazy.

Mostly because I'm lazy.

But then today while I was trying to avoid writing with all of my considerable might and willpower I came across a gem of a game: Strike Force Heroes.

Even the loading screen is pure awesome. | Armorgames.com

I saw the game on NotDoppler (the go-to game site of any man worth his salt) and figured any game with "Strike" or "Force" or "Heroes" would be worth trying out.  The fact that "Strike Force Heroes" has all three of these buzz words in its title made not-clicking on the link to play it impossible.

After waiting for the loading screen to finish its business, I was greeted by the title screen.

Which was also pure awesome.  Look at the fire and the bullets and the knife guy! | Armorgames.com

It looks like some 80s arcade game and something for the SNES decided to get drunk and make a boxart baby.  After entering my name I entered the world of Strike Force Heroes.  It turned out that the game isn't so much a strategy game (which I had been hoping for), but was instead a side-scrolling shoot 'em up.

If you've played any of JuiceTin's other games (Raze or Raze 2) or the old and rather popular Unreal Flash game, you already know how to play Strike Force Heroes.  You enter the battlefield, move around with WASD or the arrow keys, and shoot your way to victory.  Simple and incredibly fun.

However, to say that Strike Force Heroes is the same as Raze or Unreal Flash would be a lie.  Following the incredibly popular Battlefield 3's footsteps, Strike Force Heroes (which I will refer to as "SFH" from now on) uses a sort of "class-system."  There are four classes: Medic (Assault), Assassin (Recon), Commando (Support), and Tank (Engineer?).

Each class has its own weapon, skill, and kill streak options.  For example, the Medic class focuses on using assault rifles and similar weapons, machine pistols and submachine guns (which are shared by all classes), kill streaks that focus on supporting and healing allies, and skills that make him harder to kill by restoring his health.  Overall, the medic is pretty well balanced and can be easily played by anyone.

Image courtesy of Armorgames.com

The Commando is sort of like the Heavy from TF2, it runs around with a big gun and shoots things full of holes.  Higher damage and rate of fire than the Medic's assault rifles, but its range and accuracy aren't as good.  I've found that the Commando is the best class to use when I want to rack up the kills.

It's also the best class to use if I want to look like a total bad-ass! | Armorgames.com

The Assassin is the class I'm least familiar with, as I'm a piss-poor sniper in FPS games and my skills in side-scrollers isn't much better.  As one could assume, the assassin is good as using stealth and subterfuge to take out enemies quickly and efficiently.  It uses the standard sniper weapon: the rifle, but if you would rather get up close and personal the assassin can purchase and wield knives in battle as well.  The assassin's skills and kill streaks focus on making it harder to find and pointing out enemies for his allies to take out.

Even when dressed like a Final Fantasy ninja I'm still bad at assassining. | Armorgames.com

The last class is the Tank.  They are good at taking hits and not too shabby at dishing out damage.  The weapon choice available to the Tank is more polarized than those available to the other classes.  Tanks can either use shotguns (close quarter weapons that deal a lot of damage) or shields (deal no damage but when used to block protects the Tank from enemy fire).  I'm currently working with a shield and MP5 submachine gun and it's working out quite well for me.

The fact that I can be an Imperial Stormtrooper makes the Tank class even more appealing. | Armorgames.com

What makes SFH stand out from similar games is the how classes affect the overall gameplay.  In Raze and Raze 2 you get to customize your character, pick a name, and enter the battlefield with a pistol.  You run around shooting people and collecting weapons, ammo, and power-ups.  In SFH you enter the battlefield as whatever class you left up on the Soldier Menu screen (which can be kind of annoying until you get used to it) with the weapons, skill, and kill streak you selected.  Ammo and medipacs can be picked up to help you on your mission, but for the most part you're stuck with what you carried on to the field.

When you die you can pick which class you want to use in your next life.  Each kill nets you experience, which in turn will level you up and unlock new weapons, streaks, and skills.  You also earn money which allows you to purchase the aforementioned things.  Each class tallies its XP and money separately, so the classes you favor will become stronger faster, but it also makes it harder for the other classes to unlock their better weapons and skills.

Image Courtesy of Armorgames.com

The Soldier Menu is pretty easy to navigate and use.  Just click on something and another menu will appear.  Each class's level, money, stats, weapon load out, and skill sets is visible.  The only thing that I found frustrating was the fact that I'd have to click the class I wanted to start the next mission or match with before I left, or I could wind up playing a Medic when what I really needed to use was my Tank.  However, after a few games leaving the menu on the appropriate class became second nature.

I haven't played the campaign much, instead I've been playing Quickplay matches to earn money and XP for my classes.  From what I've gathered though, you play as a member of the Strike Force and you're trying to rescue a scientist or something.  Who knows?  The third level is played on a airplane that's falling out of the sky and being followed by mysterious MiG fighters.  If that's not enough to excite you then you've probably killed your inner child.

Overall SFH is a fun and addicting little game, and is definitely one of JuiceTin's best.  It combines the best parts of side scrolling action games with guns, class-roles, and the kill streak system that has become such a prominent part of shooting games.  I definitely recommend that you give it a try.

For my next article I'd like to review the Skyrim expansion Dawnguard, but since I have a Playstation 3 that currently doesn't work my television and Bethesda and Microsoft are butt-buddies, it might be awhile...

I'm on to you Todd, I know you and Mr. Gates are more than "really good friends."

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[Re-Play] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

Before Inception, there was The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Don't know what that means? You probably haven't played it. And if you have and still don't get it... listen to some Notorious B.I.G. for the big reveal! Growing up, Zelda games were some of my favorites. I didn’t get into handheld gaming until the Gameboy Color was released. I'm not counting GameGear, because all I did on that was die as Sonic in one of his portable editions. Oh, and that Tom & Jerry game...  If I recall correctly, when I finally got into GameBoy, I played two games: Pokémon: Blue Version (my brother had Red) and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX. When I wasn’t thwarting Team Rocket’s plans, I was on Koholint Island exploring its mysteries and solving puzzles along the way. Thank you, Nintendo, for all the memories. And thank you, again, for releasing this game on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

olyjnsgms.tumblr.com

You play as Link, our green-clad hero. The game takes place after the events of The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. The game opens with Link being shipwrecked and waking up on a mysterious island. He slowly pieces together an arsenal of familiar weapons as he tackles 8 dungeons on a quest to find his way off the island.  During the dungeons, he encounters Nightmares and quickly realizes the way off the island is destroy the Nightmares,, effectively waking the Wind Fish. What are the consequences of distributing the Wind Fish’s slumber, though? The game presents itself similarly to other titles, but this time gives you much more of a direction to follow, unlike the original Legend of Zelda. Also unlike other games, main characters Zelda and Ganon, the other two Triforce holders, are only mentioned briefly or appear as imitations, in the case of Ganon. The Triforce, likewise, doesn’t appear in any way, shape, or form. In place of these familiar faces, the player is treated to a variety of other Nintendo characters, mostly from Mario games, including Goombas, Piranha Plants, and even Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2.  Despite the handheld platform, the game is extremely intricate and offers a lot to explore and collect!

How is it a new "secret" dungeon if you advertise it on the box? | mobygames.com

The Idea: Link is shipwrecked and wakes up on a mysterious island. He battles through dungeons to find a way off, which may involve waking something called the "Wind Fish". Add in Mario enemies as well as some classic LotZ enemies, and you’re good to go. After initially releasing the game, re-release it with color and an extra dungeon.

From top left, clockwise | 1, 2, 3, 4

The Look: I never played the original Gameboy one, but compared to screenshots, the colored version is clearly superior. Artistically, this Link is similar to its predecessor, giving some glorious graphics and wonderful top-down navigation. The side-scrolling segments are attractive, but somewhat repetitive in their appearance.

The Sound: The quality is fine for its time period and the tunes are classics. Additionally, the boss music is really awesome and I wish I could just use it for my everyday life. Although, hearing the same music as I traverse back and forth between dungeons (mostly across Ukuku Prairie) can get a little tedious. 

The Play: If you’ve played Link to the Past, you’ll be very familiar with the style of play. Numerous weapons and items provide our hero with a multitude of moves including jumping (Roc’s Feather), dashing (Pegasus Boots), and lifting (Power Bracelet). The majority of gameplay centers on exploration and combat. For exploration we have the aforementioned items in addition to the Hookshot, bombs, and a few other nifty tools. Mostly, Link must discover the key to opening a dungeon (be it an actual key or an event that triggers it), must navigate to the dungeon, and then conquer it. In the dungeon, Link will explore to obtain the Map, the Compass (which reveals the location of any treasure chests and the boss), the Stone Beak (used to communicate with Owl Statues in the dungeon and get tips on solving puzzles), and the Dungeon’s item. In the course of his adventures, Link will unlikely have to slice a few Moblins. For death-dealing purposes he is equipped with a Sword, a Bow, the Hookshot and the bombs. During dungeon excursions, you will encounter minor side-scrolling action that helps to break up the bird’s eye view gameplay.

www.zeldadungeon.net

The Entertainment: Aside from all of the cameos that are made, the excitment of this game lies in the truly in the heart of the series. The dungeon designs are stellar, the plot is linear, but offers some sense of freedom, and the narrative is very good given the time it was released.

The Challenge: The game really doesn’t feel “hard” at any point, but the most exciting aspects are certainly the later dungeons. In fact, there is a surprise ending available to anyone who completes the entire quest without dying once. Now that would be a challenge.

The Legacy: Link’s Awakening is one of the first Zelda games to really fine-tune what would eventually become the Zelda series’ formula. It was also a testament that sticking to familiarity is not necessary to create a great Zelda game. By removing Zelda and Ganon from the equation, the adventure becomes much less predictable, from a story standpoint. Additionally, its one of the first unsatisfying endings I remember. Not as controversial as Mass Effect 3's ending, though...

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