So the last week has been pretty dull for me. Not that I've been incredibly bored, but nothing really new has come up. I refuse to post about the really dull and boring stuff that goes on in my life. (That definitely opened me up for some rips.)
Anyway, I'd like to hear from you people who read this. Anything interesting going on? Wow-related, video game-related, RL-related. I don't care. What are you all doing? Comment!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Titanquest
So I've finally played enough of Titanquest to feel that I can accurately review it. I haven't completed the game, so I may change my mind on some aspects of it.
Have you ever played Diablo II in all of its glory? Made in 2000, this game is still actively played online (though not as much since WoW came out). Why is this? It's a classic RPG with a decent plot, great class balance, great skill trees, good item progression, and long-lasting strategy. You can pick up the game in minutes, and take months to truly master it. The game is more about your character than it is about the storyline or the monsters that you fight. It's interesting to think about playing the game as a different character using a different set of skills.
Titanquest is truly a Diablo II ripoff. Perhaps Diablo II created the point-click RPG genre. If that's the case, then Titanquest has developed it into the new generation Diablo. We're still waiting for Diablo III, but Titanquest can be considered Diablo 2.5 I think.
Again, the storyline really is bland. It's based in ancient Greece, and all sorts of monsters have come out from mythology to fight mankind. Your job is to find them and kill them. Seems pretty straight forward? It is. The storyline is slow and not very deep. But the gameplay makes up for it.
In Diablo II, you had 7 classes to choose from, and each had three talent trees to put points into. In Titanquest, they increase that to 8 (9 with the expansion), but the difference is that you don't pick one. You pick two. My character is an Oracle (combination of Spirit and Storm trees). You choose your first tree at level 2, and your second tree at level 8. The trees are more complex than Diablo as well. Each level you get 3 skill points (as opposed to 1 for Diablo). You can put these skill points into new abilities, or you can use them to progress higher up the tree. This way, you don't need to hoard points or save them until you get to the abilities that you want.
Having 36 different combinations can make for unlimited character skill development, and has led to the same kind of online following that Diablo has enjoyed. Like Diablo, the game is based around gear and relics (gems). The interface is nicer too. Instead of having left and right click, there is a bar to use for casting. It works similarly in the end, but it's much easier to see all of your options in front of you.
Other advantages that it enjoys over Diablo is improved statistic tracking, better graphics and music, better transportation methods, redos on skill points, side quests, and better saved game placement.
I really enjoy these kinds of games because you can nitpick about what abilities will be best for your character to have. It places the focus on character development rather than the environment interaction. I wish the game had a more engaging storyline, but I do enjoy the sidequests (something that Diablo lacked as well).
Multiplayer is also available, but I don't know if I can recommend it. Multiplayer slows things down a little, and if there's one thing that this game doesn't need, it's slowing down. I tried playing this with friends multiplayer and couldn't get into it. Single players gives you more time to figure out what abilities work and which ones don't.
In summary, if you liked Diablo II, you will like this game - it is superior in a lot of ways. Though I can't wait until Diablo III - it will probably blow this game out of the water.
Have you ever played Diablo II in all of its glory? Made in 2000, this game is still actively played online (though not as much since WoW came out). Why is this? It's a classic RPG with a decent plot, great class balance, great skill trees, good item progression, and long-lasting strategy. You can pick up the game in minutes, and take months to truly master it. The game is more about your character than it is about the storyline or the monsters that you fight. It's interesting to think about playing the game as a different character using a different set of skills.
Titanquest is truly a Diablo II ripoff. Perhaps Diablo II created the point-click RPG genre. If that's the case, then Titanquest has developed it into the new generation Diablo. We're still waiting for Diablo III, but Titanquest can be considered Diablo 2.5 I think.
Again, the storyline really is bland. It's based in ancient Greece, and all sorts of monsters have come out from mythology to fight mankind. Your job is to find them and kill them. Seems pretty straight forward? It is. The storyline is slow and not very deep. But the gameplay makes up for it.
In Diablo II, you had 7 classes to choose from, and each had three talent trees to put points into. In Titanquest, they increase that to 8 (9 with the expansion), but the difference is that you don't pick one. You pick two. My character is an Oracle (combination of Spirit and Storm trees). You choose your first tree at level 2, and your second tree at level 8. The trees are more complex than Diablo as well. Each level you get 3 skill points (as opposed to 1 for Diablo). You can put these skill points into new abilities, or you can use them to progress higher up the tree. This way, you don't need to hoard points or save them until you get to the abilities that you want.
Having 36 different combinations can make for unlimited character skill development, and has led to the same kind of online following that Diablo has enjoyed. Like Diablo, the game is based around gear and relics (gems). The interface is nicer too. Instead of having left and right click, there is a bar to use for casting. It works similarly in the end, but it's much easier to see all of your options in front of you.
Other advantages that it enjoys over Diablo is improved statistic tracking, better graphics and music, better transportation methods, redos on skill points, side quests, and better saved game placement.
I really enjoy these kinds of games because you can nitpick about what abilities will be best for your character to have. It places the focus on character development rather than the environment interaction. I wish the game had a more engaging storyline, but I do enjoy the sidequests (something that Diablo lacked as well).
Multiplayer is also available, but I don't know if I can recommend it. Multiplayer slows things down a little, and if there's one thing that this game doesn't need, it's slowing down. I tried playing this with friends multiplayer and couldn't get into it. Single players gives you more time to figure out what abilities work and which ones don't.
In summary, if you liked Diablo II, you will like this game - it is superior in a lot of ways. Though I can't wait until Diablo III - it will probably blow this game out of the water.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Some old school text games
I was given these two DOS games by my buddy Jim (most of you know him as Saro). Nothing quite like some old school text games. People had to be pretty clever to make decent games back in the day. You couldn't hide behind terrific graphics and cut-scenes. The plot had to be interesting, and game-play engaging.
The first game is called Executive Suite. The purpose is to move yourself up the ranks of the company and increase your worth. You have to make solid business decisions to move up the company ranks. Screw up and you can get demoted or even let go. Not a long game, but interesting enough to try a few times. A couple of decisions will come back to bite you, and every result makes pretty good sense.
The second game is called Alter Ego. I haven't had a chance to play it all the way through - it's a much longer one. But the premise, is you get to control decisions made by a baby all the way up through old age. Every decision you make affects your personality, financial situation, social skills, and overall satisfaction. There are a lot of decision points, and I've only gotten to toddler stage. But it's a very interesting game.
One note: The male version creates you a female character, and the female version creates you a male character. This is because it's more interesting to try living a life through the opposite sex. Give it a try. I'd like to see what people think.
NOTE: Alter Ego can give people problems, especially anyone running Vista. If you can't run it, try using a DOS emulator like DOSBox.
Anyone who knows of any other cool DOS games like this...feel free to share them. The classics never truly go away.
The first game is called Executive Suite. The purpose is to move yourself up the ranks of the company and increase your worth. You have to make solid business decisions to move up the company ranks. Screw up and you can get demoted or even let go. Not a long game, but interesting enough to try a few times. A couple of decisions will come back to bite you, and every result makes pretty good sense.
The second game is called Alter Ego. I haven't had a chance to play it all the way through - it's a much longer one. But the premise, is you get to control decisions made by a baby all the way up through old age. Every decision you make affects your personality, financial situation, social skills, and overall satisfaction. There are a lot of decision points, and I've only gotten to toddler stage. But it's a very interesting game.
One note: The male version creates you a female character, and the female version creates you a male character. This is because it's more interesting to try living a life through the opposite sex. Give it a try. I'd like to see what people think.
NOTE: Alter Ego can give people problems, especially anyone running Vista. If you can't run it, try using a DOS emulator like DOSBox.
Anyone who knows of any other cool DOS games like this...feel free to share them. The classics never truly go away.
Great Day at Work
When you wake up in the morning, you never know what kind of a day you're going to have. Yesterday morning, I had the feeling that my day was going to be really bad. I woke up at 6:45 (2 hours earlier than I usually do) because I had two early morning meetings to go to. Then I knew it would be a long day, because I had a BASH (Business After Scheduled Hours) for our local Chamber of Commerce, and I told Jeff, a colleague of mine, that I would be meeting with him after the BASH to work on helping each other's businesses out. So I knew it was going to be about a 14 hour day. Nothing to look forward to.
For about the last month or so, we've been barely making it by. I guess I should explain for anyone who doesn't know...when you own your own business, you don't get a paycheck. We get money by getting people to pay us for what we do. So if we don't get any work, we don't get paid.
We build software for businesses. My analogy for this is, say you have two blocks of wood connected by a screw. And you need to get that screw out. You can use any number of tools to get that screw out. A penny will work. A screwdriver will work. And a power drill will work. Which is the best solution? As this relates to software, most people who sell software are trying to sell a product. They will tell you that you should buy their penny. Or you should buy their drill. All of them will work, but perhaps they aren't the best tool for the situation. We actually look at what you're doing. We ask questions, like "how many times will you need to get that screw out?" And "how long will you be doing this? for a year?" Then we figure out what the best software to use would be, and either build it, help you implement it, or whatever.
OK, back on track to my point. We've had some really big quotes for some really big jobs out there. In early February we quoted a job for about $125,000. (Yes, that many zeroes!) Another job we quoted at $30,000 early March, and finally a third at $15,000 around late February. We expected to have had at least one of these jobs by not. Not so. We have still been waiting to hear back from everyone.
In the meantime, we've picked up some smaller jobs. A $3,000 job here, a $1,000 job there. But those don't quite pay the bills. So we've been holding our breath for a long time on a lot of these.
Wednesday morning's meeting was a volunteer meeting for the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce...I'm on their marketing committee to help them figure out how best to market their projects and events. During that time, they mentioned a need for their website to have customer logins. Perfect job for us, so we'll be talking with them about that. It will be small, but filler work is great. Then I met a designer and an IT person....two great places for referrals since they often work with people needing what we do.
Got back to the office, and actually worked on a project that was at a standstill. I finally fixed the problem that I'd been having, so I made a lot of progress.
The day still was kinda long, so off I went to the BASH. There I was introduced to a woman whose husband's company is getting raped by their software vendor. Apparently they pay $250 for a phone call to tech support. How ridiculous is that? So we'll be talking with them about fixing up their circumstance. Definitely a good lead.
After that I met with Jeff, who had a really ingenius idea for software. So when I discussed it with him, it seemed that he had the right mindset to build a software program from the ground up. If he really wants to do that, then power to him. I guarantee that he'll want us to be involved at the very least, if not programming the software ourselves.
So I went back to the office, feeling pretty good about the day. When I got back, I got an email from a colleague who had been in contact with the woman in charge of the $125,000 project. She said that we'd have to wait about 2 weeks, but it seems that we have a really REALLY good shot at getting the project. Then I found out from Nick that we had two other phone calls. One saying that we are just about guaranteed the $15,000 job that I mentioned before, and one saying that a friend of ours has another client who needs some work done.
What a whopper of a day. I sat in my chair for a good 5 minutes and just tried to take it all in. I know that I don't usually post about our projects, and things that we're up to. Most people don't care to know about the tools that we found to help our clients, and solutions to problems that we've encountered. I'm a friggin programmer! But I had to share this day, because this makes days like last Thursday (where we had to scramble to make payroll) very much worth it. On days like yesterday, it's good to be a business owner.
And if anyone is interested in some of the projects that we do, I'd be more than happy to talk about them here. Just be honest though....does anyone really care that we found a program that allows you to run a WAMP stack (Apache, MySQL, and PHP) locally without needing a web server? Probably not. But let me know, because I'll be happy to share the kinds of things that we do.
As a footnote, I've been playing Titanquest and a little bit of Baldur's Gate II. Once I feel more comfortable with them, I'll post some reviews.
For about the last month or so, we've been barely making it by. I guess I should explain for anyone who doesn't know...when you own your own business, you don't get a paycheck. We get money by getting people to pay us for what we do. So if we don't get any work, we don't get paid.
We build software for businesses. My analogy for this is, say you have two blocks of wood connected by a screw. And you need to get that screw out. You can use any number of tools to get that screw out. A penny will work. A screwdriver will work. And a power drill will work. Which is the best solution? As this relates to software, most people who sell software are trying to sell a product. They will tell you that you should buy their penny. Or you should buy their drill. All of them will work, but perhaps they aren't the best tool for the situation. We actually look at what you're doing. We ask questions, like "how many times will you need to get that screw out?" And "how long will you be doing this? for a year?" Then we figure out what the best software to use would be, and either build it, help you implement it, or whatever.
OK, back on track to my point. We've had some really big quotes for some really big jobs out there. In early February we quoted a job for about $125,000. (Yes, that many zeroes!) Another job we quoted at $30,000 early March, and finally a third at $15,000 around late February. We expected to have had at least one of these jobs by not. Not so. We have still been waiting to hear back from everyone.
In the meantime, we've picked up some smaller jobs. A $3,000 job here, a $1,000 job there. But those don't quite pay the bills. So we've been holding our breath for a long time on a lot of these.
Wednesday morning's meeting was a volunteer meeting for the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce...I'm on their marketing committee to help them figure out how best to market their projects and events. During that time, they mentioned a need for their website to have customer logins. Perfect job for us, so we'll be talking with them about that. It will be small, but filler work is great. Then I met a designer and an IT person....two great places for referrals since they often work with people needing what we do.
Got back to the office, and actually worked on a project that was at a standstill. I finally fixed the problem that I'd been having, so I made a lot of progress.
The day still was kinda long, so off I went to the BASH. There I was introduced to a woman whose husband's company is getting raped by their software vendor. Apparently they pay $250 for a phone call to tech support. How ridiculous is that? So we'll be talking with them about fixing up their circumstance. Definitely a good lead.
After that I met with Jeff, who had a really ingenius idea for software. So when I discussed it with him, it seemed that he had the right mindset to build a software program from the ground up. If he really wants to do that, then power to him. I guarantee that he'll want us to be involved at the very least, if not programming the software ourselves.
So I went back to the office, feeling pretty good about the day. When I got back, I got an email from a colleague who had been in contact with the woman in charge of the $125,000 project. She said that we'd have to wait about 2 weeks, but it seems that we have a really REALLY good shot at getting the project. Then I found out from Nick that we had two other phone calls. One saying that we are just about guaranteed the $15,000 job that I mentioned before, and one saying that a friend of ours has another client who needs some work done.
What a whopper of a day. I sat in my chair for a good 5 minutes and just tried to take it all in. I know that I don't usually post about our projects, and things that we're up to. Most people don't care to know about the tools that we found to help our clients, and solutions to problems that we've encountered. I'm a friggin programmer! But I had to share this day, because this makes days like last Thursday (where we had to scramble to make payroll) very much worth it. On days like yesterday, it's good to be a business owner.
And if anyone is interested in some of the projects that we do, I'd be more than happy to talk about them here. Just be honest though....does anyone really care that we found a program that allows you to run a WAMP stack (Apache, MySQL, and PHP) locally without needing a web server? Probably not. But let me know, because I'll be happy to share the kinds of things that we do.
As a footnote, I've been playing Titanquest and a little bit of Baldur's Gate II. Once I feel more comfortable with them, I'll post some reviews.
Friday, March 14, 2008
OCRemix.org
I don't remember who showed this to me first, but I wanted to share it with one and all.
Everyone knows that some of the best music ever made has been for video games. Even the classic NES games with its 4 bit sound had some classic melodies that are still catchy. So if you yearn for the greatness of old video game music, this is an awesome website.
OC Remix is a website that collects independent remixes of video game music. People will submit entries, and the music is available to download for FREE. No licenses or anything!
Personally, I'm a huge fan of the Megaman II music that's there....to me that game had some of the best music ever.
Some of the remixes are techno, some are classical, some are rock n roll, and some are everything in between. And I'm sure that everyone will agree that Super Mario World / Sleigh Ride is downright awesome.
Enjoy the music from your favorite games as interpreted by these great remixers. Please share some of your favorites. Here are mine:
-Anything by Disco Dan
-Dr. Willy's Wedding, and most anything from Mega Man 2
Everyone knows that some of the best music ever made has been for video games. Even the classic NES games with its 4 bit sound had some classic melodies that are still catchy. So if you yearn for the greatness of old video game music, this is an awesome website.
OC Remix is a website that collects independent remixes of video game music. People will submit entries, and the music is available to download for FREE. No licenses or anything!
Personally, I'm a huge fan of the Megaman II music that's there....to me that game had some of the best music ever.
Some of the remixes are techno, some are classical, some are rock n roll, and some are everything in between. And I'm sure that everyone will agree that Super Mario World / Sleigh Ride is downright awesome.
Enjoy the music from your favorite games as interpreted by these great remixers. Please share some of your favorites. Here are mine:
-Anything by Disco Dan
-Dr. Willy's Wedding, and most anything from Mega Man 2
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - First Impressions
Well, I only got to play this game for about an hour and a half. We rented it, because Nick/Rubix's fiance works at Family Video, and we get game rentals at half price. However, a day into the rental we were told that since it's a "New Release" we can't rent it at half price for now. So....whatever.
I wanted to post since it looks like there is interest in the game from the previous few comments.
When I saw that the game was coming out for the Wii, I was pretty psyched. I played the game a good bit on the Gamecube. I didn't get exceptionally good at the game, but I learned enough about the controls and enjoyed it.
So I popped in the game and just started playing. Now mind you, after playing Super Mario Galaxy, I had some pretty high expectations. I expected for the game to use the Wii's motion sensors as the primary attacks, or at least some sort of attack. Unfortunately, this was not the case. My character stood still as I waved my little controller around in the air. The controls ended up being almost exactly like the Gamecube controls. In some ways, this is good. I didn't have to relearn any moves. However, it felt very redundant. I played single player mode through a quick game, and quickly turned the game off. The game was a repeat in my mind. New characters, new graphics, new environments. Same moves, same mentality, same basic principle.
I admit at that point I thought that the game was a dud. I was looking forward to a completely different game. One that used the Wii's unique motion sensor to make me feel like I was swordfighting or something. Make a Power punch a forward thrust or something. In this way I was sadly disappointed.
Later on, I tried playing the Co-op mode with Nick. It was very enjoyable. It forces you to play different characters, something none of the other games did. I enjoyed the different aspects of the levels as well. Some were a normal arena match, some were side-scrolling, and some were a combination of both. We only got 6% through, but I liked the idea of having a single player version of the game. It was the most enjoyable part for me.
I was never a huge Smash Bros multiplayer fan. Usually I was either playing with someone who knew the game inside and out and destroyed me, or someone who didn't know how to play who I toasted every time. I expect that since the game is meant to be mulitplayer, that would probably be the most enjoyable part. Single player might be fun to run through the adventure mode once or twice, but then I'd probably be tired of it.
I will have to try it again sometime, perhaps in a multiplayer setting to see what happens. I don't think that I gave it nearly enough time for it to impress me. But my first impressions were "same old, same old."
Love to hear your thoughts.
I wanted to post since it looks like there is interest in the game from the previous few comments.
When I saw that the game was coming out for the Wii, I was pretty psyched. I played the game a good bit on the Gamecube. I didn't get exceptionally good at the game, but I learned enough about the controls and enjoyed it.
So I popped in the game and just started playing. Now mind you, after playing Super Mario Galaxy, I had some pretty high expectations. I expected for the game to use the Wii's motion sensors as the primary attacks, or at least some sort of attack. Unfortunately, this was not the case. My character stood still as I waved my little controller around in the air. The controls ended up being almost exactly like the Gamecube controls. In some ways, this is good. I didn't have to relearn any moves. However, it felt very redundant. I played single player mode through a quick game, and quickly turned the game off. The game was a repeat in my mind. New characters, new graphics, new environments. Same moves, same mentality, same basic principle.
I admit at that point I thought that the game was a dud. I was looking forward to a completely different game. One that used the Wii's unique motion sensor to make me feel like I was swordfighting or something. Make a Power punch a forward thrust or something. In this way I was sadly disappointed.
Later on, I tried playing the Co-op mode with Nick. It was very enjoyable. It forces you to play different characters, something none of the other games did. I enjoyed the different aspects of the levels as well. Some were a normal arena match, some were side-scrolling, and some were a combination of both. We only got 6% through, but I liked the idea of having a single player version of the game. It was the most enjoyable part for me.
I was never a huge Smash Bros multiplayer fan. Usually I was either playing with someone who knew the game inside and out and destroyed me, or someone who didn't know how to play who I toasted every time. I expect that since the game is meant to be mulitplayer, that would probably be the most enjoyable part. Single player might be fun to run through the adventure mode once or twice, but then I'd probably be tired of it.
I will have to try it again sometime, perhaps in a multiplayer setting to see what happens. I don't think that I gave it nearly enough time for it to impress me. But my first impressions were "same old, same old."
Love to hear your thoughts.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Yes I'm back with another review finally.
After around 30 hours of gameplay, I finished KotOR. And here is my review, with a twist.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)
This is an RPG that focuses on a combination of turn-based and real time combat. Everyone attacks at the same speed (with the exception of a speed boost or slow force power) but you can play cat-and-mouse in real time. It's an interesting combination. Like most RPG's, you have a team of allies who fight with you. Some are Jedi, some are mercenaries looking for a home, some are droids, and each has its own unique capabilities. There is a lot of social interaction, for lack of a better word. Much hinges on your ability to solve problems, find the right people, and say the right things to them.
One of the most intriguing parts of the game is the balance between Light and Dark. Anytime you act in a benevolent way, you will get Light Points and be closer to being a Jedi. Anytime you do something evil, you will get Dark Points and be closer to being a Sith. Becoming either good or evil allows you to have access to certain Jedi abilities. Jedi have the ability to move faster, heal party members, and defend against attacks more effectively. Sith have the ability to slow opponents, drain their life, and use lightning attacks. And that is only the beginning.
First Impressions:
This was the second time that I played this game. The first time that I tried it was maybe 2-3 years ago. I remember liking the storyline a lot, but feeling very overwhelmed. It seemed like there were too many things going on and I had a hard time keeping track of them.
Eventually, I stopped playing it. I think I got stuck on a particular part and got frustrated. I remember there being Dark Jedi involved.
Second Impressions:
I played the game again, and the second time around things were much less intimidating. I understood the premise of the game better, and could concentrate on choosing my stats more carefully. There were only a few parts of the game that I considered to be difficult, including the final battle. There was more strategy involved than outright confrontation. If you brought a teammate who had leet hacker skills, you could hack the computer and cause the enemy droids to attack their masters. You could also reprogram droids to fight for you temporarily, or simple persuade your foes into walking away from combat.
What I Liked:
Dark vs. Light
I really liked the choices made in the game. There was a woman who needed 200 credits to pay her debt. If you gave her the credits, you'd get Light Points. If you killed her to get the bounty on her head, you'd get Dark Points. In some situations, it was more beneficial to get Dark Points to gain more experience. However, too many Dark Points and you could lose your ability to heal your party.
Storyline:
The storyline was very engaging. For the most part, it allowed you to go at your own pace. There were plenty of side quests to do that helped you get XP to aid you in your main quest. And you had the choice to complete them in the "light" way or the "dark" way. At one point in the game, you have to pretend to join a Sith training facility. Accomplishing the tasks there was incredibly difficult to remain in the Light. However, a Dark Jedi would have had difficulty when you were training for the Jedi Order earlier in the game. Many difficult decisions were placed well in the game. And there were a lot of plot twists that made for a great story.
Music:
You gotta love the Star Wars music.
What I Didn't Like:
Interface:
The interface was pretty tough to deal with. In combat, you got a chance to pause and look at your options, and it's a good thing. Choosing abilities real-time was difficult. In addition, inventory and quest management was really cumbersome. I gathered a lot of different grenades and mines and other assorted items throughout, and rarely used them at all. Every once in a while I would go on a selling spree and sell almost everything that I had, just so I could find the items that I needed.
Graphics:
I don't know if it was the engine or my video card, but it was very "blipy." I would take 3-4 steps, and it would blip for a moment. It wasn't very smooth no matter how low I turned the settings. As such, I wasn't too impressed by the graphics. The load times could get annoying, but I was more disappointed with the load times of the cut scenes. Usually those would take forever on my machine, and would sometimes freeze my computer even.
Replayability:
I don't think that's a word, but whatever. I don't think that I could replay this one. Even though there are several angles to take, the storyline and the puzzles were the best part of the game. Certain points were just tedious, especially in large enemy areas. As a soldier, I was always just hitting Power Attack over and over again until the enemies died (this strategy worked for the entire game until the last area.) Two lightsabers + Power Attack = dead opponents.
Character Balance:
What I mean by this is your friendly characters. Sure it's nice to have a droid that can disable land mines. But if you have three Jedi, have one run into it, take some damage, and use Force Heal to bring them back up to full. After a while, I only used the other two Jedi that I had. Fortunately, everyone levels up evenly, so I didn't have to worry about breaking out a lower level guy for a particular situation. But it made the storyline a bit less interesting to be walking around with the same people.
Overall:
I really enjoyed this game. The story is excellent, and the puzzles are entertaining and challenging. So what if the combat got tedious and the interface sucked? It was more about trying to avoid confrontations and progress the plot of the story. I really liked how you could affect the outcome of the game by doing the different side quests and choosing Light or Dark Jedi. Overall, I found the game enjoyable. If you like RPGs and puzzle games, this was a good one. Not the best that I ever played, but most certainly not the worst. I enjoyed the Jedi Outcast / Jedi Academy series better, personally. Can't wait for the new one to come out.
My next game I was hoping would be Thief, but I cannot find my CD. :-(
So I dunno what will be next. As for posting, I'm probably going to post with other assorted things instead of just game reviews. I've been struggling for topics as of late, but I want to keep in touch with everyone still.
Keep those comments coming...I like to hear from you all.
After around 30 hours of gameplay, I finished KotOR. And here is my review, with a twist.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)
This is an RPG that focuses on a combination of turn-based and real time combat. Everyone attacks at the same speed (with the exception of a speed boost or slow force power) but you can play cat-and-mouse in real time. It's an interesting combination. Like most RPG's, you have a team of allies who fight with you. Some are Jedi, some are mercenaries looking for a home, some are droids, and each has its own unique capabilities. There is a lot of social interaction, for lack of a better word. Much hinges on your ability to solve problems, find the right people, and say the right things to them.
One of the most intriguing parts of the game is the balance between Light and Dark. Anytime you act in a benevolent way, you will get Light Points and be closer to being a Jedi. Anytime you do something evil, you will get Dark Points and be closer to being a Sith. Becoming either good or evil allows you to have access to certain Jedi abilities. Jedi have the ability to move faster, heal party members, and defend against attacks more effectively. Sith have the ability to slow opponents, drain their life, and use lightning attacks. And that is only the beginning.
First Impressions:
This was the second time that I played this game. The first time that I tried it was maybe 2-3 years ago. I remember liking the storyline a lot, but feeling very overwhelmed. It seemed like there were too many things going on and I had a hard time keeping track of them.
Eventually, I stopped playing it. I think I got stuck on a particular part and got frustrated. I remember there being Dark Jedi involved.
Second Impressions:
I played the game again, and the second time around things were much less intimidating. I understood the premise of the game better, and could concentrate on choosing my stats more carefully. There were only a few parts of the game that I considered to be difficult, including the final battle. There was more strategy involved than outright confrontation. If you brought a teammate who had leet hacker skills, you could hack the computer and cause the enemy droids to attack their masters. You could also reprogram droids to fight for you temporarily, or simple persuade your foes into walking away from combat.
What I Liked:
Dark vs. Light
I really liked the choices made in the game. There was a woman who needed 200 credits to pay her debt. If you gave her the credits, you'd get Light Points. If you killed her to get the bounty on her head, you'd get Dark Points. In some situations, it was more beneficial to get Dark Points to gain more experience. However, too many Dark Points and you could lose your ability to heal your party.
Storyline:
The storyline was very engaging. For the most part, it allowed you to go at your own pace. There were plenty of side quests to do that helped you get XP to aid you in your main quest. And you had the choice to complete them in the "light" way or the "dark" way. At one point in the game, you have to pretend to join a Sith training facility. Accomplishing the tasks there was incredibly difficult to remain in the Light. However, a Dark Jedi would have had difficulty when you were training for the Jedi Order earlier in the game. Many difficult decisions were placed well in the game. And there were a lot of plot twists that made for a great story.
Music:
You gotta love the Star Wars music.
What I Didn't Like:
Interface:
The interface was pretty tough to deal with. In combat, you got a chance to pause and look at your options, and it's a good thing. Choosing abilities real-time was difficult. In addition, inventory and quest management was really cumbersome. I gathered a lot of different grenades and mines and other assorted items throughout, and rarely used them at all. Every once in a while I would go on a selling spree and sell almost everything that I had, just so I could find the items that I needed.
Graphics:
I don't know if it was the engine or my video card, but it was very "blipy." I would take 3-4 steps, and it would blip for a moment. It wasn't very smooth no matter how low I turned the settings. As such, I wasn't too impressed by the graphics. The load times could get annoying, but I was more disappointed with the load times of the cut scenes. Usually those would take forever on my machine, and would sometimes freeze my computer even.
Replayability:
I don't think that's a word, but whatever. I don't think that I could replay this one. Even though there are several angles to take, the storyline and the puzzles were the best part of the game. Certain points were just tedious, especially in large enemy areas. As a soldier, I was always just hitting Power Attack over and over again until the enemies died (this strategy worked for the entire game until the last area.) Two lightsabers + Power Attack = dead opponents.
Character Balance:
What I mean by this is your friendly characters. Sure it's nice to have a droid that can disable land mines. But if you have three Jedi, have one run into it, take some damage, and use Force Heal to bring them back up to full. After a while, I only used the other two Jedi that I had. Fortunately, everyone levels up evenly, so I didn't have to worry about breaking out a lower level guy for a particular situation. But it made the storyline a bit less interesting to be walking around with the same people.
Overall:
I really enjoyed this game. The story is excellent, and the puzzles are entertaining and challenging. So what if the combat got tedious and the interface sucked? It was more about trying to avoid confrontations and progress the plot of the story. I really liked how you could affect the outcome of the game by doing the different side quests and choosing Light or Dark Jedi. Overall, I found the game enjoyable. If you like RPGs and puzzle games, this was a good one. Not the best that I ever played, but most certainly not the worst. I enjoyed the Jedi Outcast / Jedi Academy series better, personally. Can't wait for the new one to come out.
My next game I was hoping would be Thief, but I cannot find my CD. :-(
So I dunno what will be next. As for posting, I'm probably going to post with other assorted things instead of just game reviews. I've been struggling for topics as of late, but I want to keep in touch with everyone still.
Keep those comments coming...I like to hear from you all.
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