Bioware enjoys its companion systems. Whether the chapters-long henchmen quests in Neverwinter Nights that reward the player with unique items or the romance options in the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, interacting with party companions is in the DNA of Bioware games. Unfortunately, too often these quests suffer from the video game medium andContinue reading “Make Loyalty Matter”
Tag Archives: video games
Ahsoka 101: Vent that Ship
I never have been and never will be a starship captain. But I have played a lot of FTL and know a little bit about basic human physiology. Standard operating procedure for allowing unknown ships to board a New Republic cruiser should be, lock down the blast doors then check the new arrivals. If theyContinue reading “Ahsoka 101: Vent that Ship”
Freelancer at 20
I recently learned that March 2023 is the twentieth anniversary of Freelancer. Developed by Digital Anvil and published by Microsoft Game Studios, Freelancer never seemed to be as popular as I feel it deserves. I loved it back in college during the mid-2000s and still consider it one of my favorite games. In honor ofContinue reading “Freelancer at 20”
Three Audio-Only Let’s Plays
I love audio-only Let’s Plays. There’s something comforting about hearing people play games I know. It can also be hilarious and infuriating when the players are bad. I have no desire to watch Let’s Play videos, but because I haven’t been able to find a decent list of audio-only versions I am making my own.Continue reading “Three Audio-Only Let’s Plays”
A 2D Deus Ex – Dex
I found Dex years ago on a Steam Sale and played through it over a weekend. Cyberpunk as a genre is my jam. Dex looked right up my alley with good-looking 2D sprites and gameplay that promised to be a stripped-down riff on Deus Ex, possibly my favorite game of all time. I was happyContinue reading “A 2D Deus Ex – Dex”
What are good additions to an IP? The Lord of the Rings
It feels like so many people get upset when books get adapted to movies or TV. Page to screen often incites a lot of hostility from overly passionate fanbases, but the trend of revisiting old film IPs such as Star Wars or Indiana Jones as created more controversies among fans. When I was younger IContinue reading “What are good additions to an IP? The Lord of the Rings”
Real Mouthful – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
Some of my most cherished memories of childhood involved our Thanksgiving and Christmas trips to see my grandparents in Maine. Seeing grandparents is the best because they’ve lived long enough to spoil their grandkids dammit. We were spoiled through film. At home we did not watch much TV, but our grandparents had a nice sizedContinue reading “Real Mouthful – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure”
A Dystopian Choose Your Own Adventure – Floor 13
Archive.org’s in-browser DOSBox emulator is one of the greatest tools available for retro gamers. Many years ago I came across Floor 13 on one of the abandonware sites that were popular in the early 2000s. Back then it made a huge impression on me and I loved the game. Recently I was thinking of itContinue reading “A Dystopian Choose Your Own Adventure – Floor 13”
Alternative Fighting Forces – Freelancer
Video game writing is not great literature. No matter how deep is the lore or how many codex entries can be found, a good book will always be a better read than a good game. That is not to say game writing is drek, The Elder Scrolls franchise is full of pretty good short stories.Continue reading “Alternative Fighting Forces – Freelancer”
Dev Game Club Initial Impressions
My strategy for testing new-to-me podcasts is to look through the back catalog and find recent episodes about a topic I already enjoy. If I don’t have fun listening to the hosts talk about what I like, there’s almost no way I’ll have fun listening to them talk about things I find less interesting. AsContinue reading “Dev Game Club Initial Impressions”
The Keasy Depot 