Sometimes I wish I didn't love narrative heavy games as much as I do, because they're super difficult to talk about without spoiling anything. Even though I try, there's always that feeling that you're not doing it justice, because you couldn't reveal something amazing. Although, I really feel like this genre is one of the most interesting and innovated genres in gaming right now, so let's have a little think about why.
How much game is enough game for a game to be game? This might be a valid question rattling around in your head after playing OutDrive, but I'm trying to be too cynical about something that's essentially a fun little game. I just can't figure out if I prefer the product, or the potential.
If I had to nominate a big budget series that I always play and enjoy, despite its mainstream shortcomings, it would be Assassin's Creed. The main thing I love about the series is how much detail and effort is put into recreating the cities and time periods of each instalment. There's an epic quality that's only within reach of the big budgets and big development teams, which often makes up for the cookie-cutter gameplay and story.
If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing or playing Divekick, then go get it straight away. This is the kind of game that everyone needs to have in their life. It's the perfect mix of competition and fun, which in turn equals entertainment for all. Divekick is basically faultless.
I often try and think about trends in gaming and attempt to figure them out as they're happening. It's an impossible gamble that results in nothing more than a bit of a fun thought process, but I find it interesting either way. Spotting past trends is easy with hindsight; the real challenge is figuring them out as they happen.
Straight up, I've never played the first Azkend and I only gave this one a go because it was a Playstation Plus game at some point. It's easy to try something that just shows up in your library unexpectedly, but I like this match-three adventure enough to write something about it.
The last month has been a bit of a wild ride, as I'm trying to complete some of the more time-heavy games from last year. I was hoping to have posted some more, but have been having too much fun finishing NieR:Automata, Divinity Original Sin 2, and today's "focus"… Horizon: Zero Dawn.
I really like the way that Zachtronics have carved out a niche for themselves as the golden child of programming games. In fact, I almost didn't play Opus Magnum, as I had previously attempted their earlier title Shenzhen I/O. The latter focused heavily on programming and electronics in a way that made my head spin. Thankfully though, Opus Magnum is kind of Zachtronics's offering to the more casual flow-chart designers out there.
It's hard not to start this post by saying something like "what a year it's been", because 2017 turned out to be one of the most packed years of gaming we've seen for a while. There were so many different experiences available for every type of gamer, which really excites me for what's to come. For now though, let's have a little look back on the last year of games and try and figure out the cream of the crop.
I might be talking out of turn here from a position of ignorance, but I've always seen point-and-click adventure games as one of the most accessible genres to make. It's partly because tools like Adventure Game Studio exist, which sells itself on the premise that anyone can use the program to make an adventure game, but also because they seem to be one of the most prolific genres around.
For the longest time "procedurally generated levels" was gaming blasphemy and an immediate turn off when used in a game's description. It felt like as soon as Minecraft hit it big, everyone and their mother was including procedurally generated elements in their game. The promise was millions of combinations and infinite replay-ability, which ultimately wound up meaning an endless gauntlet of bad content to slog through.
In the last decade we've seen a lot of indie darlings make a splash for being small little creative games that big studios wouldn't even bother thinking about. It's been an awesome period in gaming, as we've seen smaller games have a bit of a boom, which has introduced some truly unique experiences, and even defied traditional genre definitions. At the same time though, there's been a flood of games that piece together seemingly random elements to form another eye-rolling attempt at grabbing the hype for a few minutes of success.
As time goes on, the difference between PC and console hardware has grown smaller and smaller. While technologies continue to improve and iterate, they lower in cost and general accessibility. I think it's fair to say that even though PC technologies will always surpass the locked-down console capabilities, it's becoming much more difficult to find a noticeable difference in the quality of games made for those systems.
Please don't ever let me move to Midsomer, or any other town that features murder after murder. I often spend an evening watching some murder mystery or another, trying to guess the culprit and piece together the puzzle. It should come as no surprise then that I'm a fan of Agatha Christie's stories and in particular, the character of Hercule Poirot.
In the last few years, I've come to the understanding that a bit of narrative surrealism might well be up there as one of my favourite genres in gaming. When I was younger, all I needed was some fun first person shooting action from id Software or Epic Games to keep me amused. These days however, I really appreciate how deep a good narrative game can take you.
As much as I'd like to claim otherwise, it's impossible for me to distance myself from when I was a kid spending hours fixated by LucasArts point-and-click adventures. I know I'm not alone, so it's nothing new, but I'd like to think that even though nostalgia can spark interest in a game, it doesn't dictate one's enjoyment. The thing is though, I'm not sure if I love Thimbleweed Park because it takes me back to being a kid, or because it's a fantastic iteration on the genre. I guess I'm pretty sure that it's both.
I've been debating whether or not I had anything useful to say about a game that's now been surpassed by its sequel, and ultimately relegated to a terminal wind-down period. It won't be long before we see the Destiny servers shut down in favour of Destiny 2, or even a third by the time it all rolls around. Despite there being an active community of players stuck on the first Destiny, it's no secret that the title is on its way out.
Sometimes having a good idea isn't enough to really make an impression among the myriad of indie games released on a regular basis. Most of the time, a game really needs to be the complete package if it's going to catch your eye, but there are always exceptions to the rule.
It always surprises me to hear gamers complain about sports games, as if they have no place in the gaming world. Whenever Madden of FIFA comes up at E3, the commentators groan and joke that it's time for a toilet break or some other derisive remark. It surprises me because not only are sports games some of the highest selling games in the world every year, but they still games and playing games is pretty much the MO of a gamer.
Whenever I think about Steep, it causes me to furrow my brow and wonder about the nature of its release. It came out at the end of last year after a short announcement at E3, but in the wake of some pretty big titles. This unexpected game from one of the biggest publishers in the world just kind of came out, then disappeared again with little fanfare.
