So as promised here is another Games Wednesday again!! So I'm starting to get through some of my backlog of games (I've finished Far Cry 3/Diablo 3 and almost finished Dishonored) so I'm looking forward to starting some new games now.
Path of Exile
So I'm a big fan of hack 'n' slash RPGs having played all 3 Diablo games, Torchlight, Titan Quest, Too Human (does this count??) and more. Path of Exile is a free-to-play game that is in the same vein as Diablo 2 and is regarded by many as what Diablo 3 should have been (personally I don't understand Diablo 3's criticism but then again I've only just finished it on normal difficulty). I've only played around 30-40 mins of the game so far and it was an interesting experience. While the combat was largely familiar the game has integrated several features that so far feel very different. The first thing to mention is the ridiculous passive skill tree which from what I can tell will require several playthroughs of trial and error to get to grips with the enormity of it.
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| The Passive Skill Tree |
The other things that make this feel strange is the lack of gold (you use scrolls and other items to barter/trade), having skills bound to socketable items and sockets buffing different attributes. With all these new ideas I look forward to delving much deeper into this game.
Further reading:
http://www.pathofexile.com/
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/02/27/path-of-exile-hack-and-slash-for-free
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/10/path-of-exile-finds-new-friends-in-open-beta-beginning-jan-23/
BioShock Infinite
So I'm a little giddy about the release of BioShock Infinite. I'm a huge fan of the series having spent many hours playing the first two games and from what I've seen of the latest iteration then it is going to be even better than those set in the underwater city of Rapture. This game is set on the floating city of Columbia (the polar opposite of Rapture) and the aim of the game is to rescue a woman called Emily from the two opposing groups (who seem to come from either side of the political spectrum). If like me you can't wait to play this game then you might like my Let's Play of the very first BioShock on my YouTube channel (Playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNFyoNgGhybYxwT7ddZMcSw5GSIDGliXm)
Further reading:
http://www.bioshockinfinite.com/?RET=&ag=true
http://uk.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/
http://uk.ign.com/games/bioshock-infinite/pc-14258733
Thanks for reading everyone and I will be back for Science Friday this week!!
So I've had a good week in gaming!! I've managed to finish Far Cry 3 (how awesome is this game), start Dishonored (so far I'm loving it), progressed further in Diablo 3 and started my own YouTube channel in which I'm doing Let's Plays!!
Far Cry 3
Definitely one of the games of the year from last year. I believe I have described it as 'Skyrim with guns' several times and it is certainly as addictive but maybe no where near as long. The length of Far Cry 3 is my only concern with the game because after spending many hours completing missions, unlocking weapons, killing animals, taking bases, climbing towers and enjoying the story I though that when you got to the south island that it would be the same case. Sadly it doesn't quite have the same pace because having already unlocked almost the entire tatau and having almost all the signature weapons the south island didn't give the same experience. At the beginning of the game you feel vulnerable due to being surrounded by pirates who wanted you dead with limited health, weapons and ammo. As play you feel yourself becoming a bad-ass and by the end of the north island you're near invincible. When you have finished this the story and the pacing of the game flops because you have killed Vaas, who is the poster character of the game, but this is not the end of the game because you now have to take on his boss, Hoyt, who isn't any where near as interesting a character and the motivation for killing him is a lot more fuzzy than Vaas (because he killed your brother in front of you)! Also you start the south island as a walking tank, equipped with all the best weapons, and after one of the first missions you can go almost any where (except enemy camps) with impunity as you are disguised as a mercenary. Due to having the best weapons and being chums with the baddies getting to places and killing the enemies there happens so much quicker which results in completing the second part of the game in a fraction of the time. Don't get me wrong I was still enjoying myself thoroughly and there were some great characters as well (Sam in particular) but I wish they had done more with it to keep you playing the game. At some point I will go back and finish off all the side-quests I have not finished but for now I have plenty of other games to be playing.
Further reading/watching:
Official Site: http://far-cry.ubi.com/fc-portal/en-gb/home/index.aspx
OMFGCata's Play Through: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lufk-R1cuok&list=SPFx-KViPXIkG98ljzGGAjpq_IeFnsy86z&index=1
IGN Review: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/11/21/far-cry-3-review
THQ Collapse
So its sad to see gaming companies come and go but tragic when its a big one such as THQ. THQ have made some great games over the years (such as Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, Saint's Row, Metro 2033, Darksiders etc.) and it was awesome to see so many of their great games up for grabs recently in the Humble THQ Bundle (which was my first of their pay-what-you-want packs I have bought). I thought with exposure such as this that they might be able to pull through but sadly not but it is awesome to see that so many of their franchises have now been taken up by other studios!! RIP THQ!!
Further reading:
IGN: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/01/23/thq-dissolved-saints-row-company-of-heroes-darksiders-devs-acquired
Joystiq: http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/24/court-approves-thq-asset-sales/
So here's my Games Wednesday update. Don't forget to comment, subscribe and keep reading if you like what you see. I'll be back this week for Science Friday!
