Man, Gamergate... I'm sure there are/were sane people making some good arguments, but with all the, eh... death threats and harassment... that well is kind of poisoned now. Kind of hard to get anyone to take legit complaints seriously when you have these cretins among you.
This whole debacle is a perfect showcase of what Internet anonymity can provide at its worst. Oddly I have enough faith in humanity to believe that most of the people involved with the movement (originally, at least) are not trolls, misogynists or sociopaths. Although browsing comment sections sometimes makes me think otherwise.
Anyway, instead of this tired bullcrap I'mma just talk about some games I've enjoyed recently.
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Shadowrun: Dragonfall is this really neat RPG set in the
Shadowrun universe (fantasy meets cyberpunk). Great plot and tons of dialogue in a wonderful, unique game world with turn-based tactical combat sequences. There are some nifty moral dilemmas thrown at you often even though not all of your choices influence the gameplay in a major way. Still you can play a complete asshat, a do-gooder or something in between. Since the game mixes fantasy with technology, many of the concepts and plotlines feel fresh. Same goes for combat, where modern technology and spellcasting coexist and bring some nice variety. There's also a barebones cyberspace of sorts to explore with the suitable tech-savvy class. Good fun all in all.
My only complaint is that it's somewhat easy. I'm glad I read about this beforehand, so I played it on hard difficulty. I found that satisfying but not super challenging. Very hard might indeed be a real challenge, though.
Since Dragonfall is now a standalone game with the Director's Cut release, you can just skip the first game (Shadowrun Returns). The campaigns are not connected and Dragonfall (especially the director's cut version) is a vastly better experience in every way.
Speaking of great sequels, here's my GOTY so far,
Legend of Grimrock 2.
It's a modernized old-school dungeon crawler with real-time combat and grid-based movement. The focus is on puzzles that range from obvious to truly nefarious. While some of the puzzles are quite straightforward, a
would be a room full of pits that open and close depending on your movements in the adjacent space. You need to retrieve a key, and pull four levers in the room before you can get to the treasure on the other side. Some of the puzzles can be
really difficult but they always feel fair (even the traps!). And after solving a particularly tricky one the feeling of elation is like no other. And this happens quite a lot.
Combat is also a big part of the game. It's real-time as I mentioned and also handles like a puzzle of sorts, placing emphasis in movement and awareness of your surroundings as much as dealing out different attacks and spellcasting. It can get really hectic and quite challenging to juggle potions and attacks while simultaneously side-stepping flaming projectiles and dodging monsters out to kill you. There are few things you can (or should) simply take head-on so some keyboard acrobatics are required.
If you ever played the first one, you already know what you're getting into. Thing is, LoG2 is just better than the already excellent first game in so many ways. First of all, there's a sprawling overworld that you are allowed to explore in the order you want (of course, you can get truly screwed if you enter some of the places too early). The areas and dungeons have a lot of variety with lush forests, dark cemeteries, bogs, crypts, castles and even an ancient pyramid. It's a far cry from the single claustrophobic tower of the first Grimrock. There's a better class and skill system, a crap-ton of new monsters with improved AI, all sorts of items and pretty much everything (tm).
Might not be for everyone, there's not really a plot to speak of and the mechanics of the old-school grid-based real-time action might feel awkward to some. Anyone who loved Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder and the like back in the day will be right at home, though.
Here's a random quick look and a review:
Anyway, took me about 30 hours on normal to finish (with still plenty of secrets left to discover)... and I immediately started a new game on hard difficulty and with a different kind of party. I don't recommend hard difficulty for anyone playing for the first time, though. Not even if you're good, nope. It's
truly hard.
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TL;DR: Shadowrun: Dragonfall = good times. Legend of Grimrock 2 = amazeballs. Gamergate = please no more.
Topic: The Gaming Postwhoring Thread (Read 998711 times)