PixlBit

This is what I'll be talking about.  I thought about taking the debate to Kat Bailey herself but in the end I do not have the heart to direct anger at someone I knew at 1up who wrote blogs about rpgs I really enjoyed.

Going to be a simple blog. Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New-Year. Chances are even if we don't get around to speaking directely right now, you're still one of my dear friends I met at 1up or Pixlbit. Otherwise I doubt you'd be reading this blog. My blessings and prayers of good-will go out for each and every one of you!

Tombraider

Tombraider is probably my favorite AAA game this year. I know certain people took issue with the way “new Lara” was handled (Her voice actress Camille even got death threats.) but I absolutely love her! Put simply,Lara’s a believable person now. Er, more believable. I mean she’s still pretty friggin amazing! While Lara can’t do back flips on a whim and duel wield pistols she’s still plenty agile, dexterous, and light on her feet. Personally I prefer her bow over the twin pistols anyway. It just seems to fit more in line with Lara’s personality and it’s a great weapon for stealth killing, hunting, and miscellaneous other purposes.

I was actually surprised there was in fact so much plat forming and exploration. I read this Tombraider got knocked for not having enough of those things  yet most of the areas are in fact rather expansive and come with their own plethora of secrets.

Puzzles are present but they are easier. On the other hand, they make sense within their environments which to me adds to the immersion factor. If you prefer Rube Goldberg hijinks I can see how you’d be disappointed but for me personally, that kind of puzzle design always seemed silly and awkward in the older Tombraider and Resident Evil games. When you have to turn two statues to face each other and put gems in their mouths just to open the door to the bathroom it bluntly reminds you “Hey Bub, this isn’t real! You’re still playing a videogame!” By contrast, none of the puzzles in this game seem surreal or out of place.   

So, is there anything I dislike about this beautiful beast? Unfortunately yes and it has to do with a discussion Casey, Blake, and I had not too long ago. Tombraider has way too many goon fights. You’d think Mathias and his sun goddess cult would only have 150-200 people tops but I swear this guy has reserves that would rival America’s and Britain’s armies combined! After you kill your 300th person it gets rather excessive. Sure, a big boat or downed plane can have quite a few survivors. But the thing is Mathias also puts these folks through brutal conditioning before they earn their membership into his cult. As such he shouldn’t have thousands of henchmen, especially not on a small hidden secluded island. Worst still, the firefight physics are shit. Seriously, I had one guy survive getting hit by three grenades. There are also times a headshot with the pistol will not even have the desired result. It’s odd on account if Lara is in stealth mode and puts an arrow through someone’s head he dies instantly yet if you hit the same mark during a larger scale skirmish these same guys can soak bullets and arrows as if they’re being pelted by marshmallows. If you or I get shot point blank with a shotgun at close range we’re going down. These assholes? Nope! A certain perpetrator in particular lived through  3 consecutive shotgun blasts to his body. (Of course the above issues become less problematic as you upgrade your guns and your skills.)

So my birthday is coming up. On December 22nd you all get to laugh at me and tell me how old I am for being 36! In self celebratory fashion I picked out two games for myself. My best friend also kicked me some spare cash so that was big of him!

#1Tombraider

Most of my close colleagues have mixed opinions about the newest Tombraider. However, I’ve been rather excited to try it. Even if Lara’s transition from sobbing shipwrecked college girl to ass kicking super heroine isn’t the most realistic transformation in fictional media history, the game itself still looks very “fun”. I tend to like 3rd person action adventure games so I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one! It may not be “Tomb-raider Anniversary” but  I’m not expecting it to be that in the first place. (Though I really love Tomb-raider Anniversary!) Apparently I have a thing for British girls because I also own a copy of Alice: Madness returns!

#2 Final Fantasy Dissidia Duodecism

Dissidia is pretty much a cluster frag of Final Fantasy cameos. Calling this a “fighting game” is a bit misleading on account you run and glide around huge environments that are somewhat interactive as you cast epic spells and try to pull off cataclysmic screen filling “limit breaks“. You also level up and get better gear. After you steal enough “bravery points” you can cash those points in to do that amount in physical damage. Seem confusing? It kind of is but it seems worthwhile to figure out on account you get to play as Lightning, Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa, Terra, Dragoon Kain, Squall, and many other beloved iconic characters from the series!