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Monday Gaming Diary – Weekend of Completion

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bromanceI finished TWO games on Saturday. It’s always big to me when I finish one game, but two in one day is unheard of in my history. Does it have something to do with the fact that both were fairly short games? Most likely.

I finished Dungeon Siege III during naptime, as all I had left was the final boss. Final clock time ran at 14 hours, and I earned the Completionist Achievement (for completing all sidequests). As the end sequences rolled, my disappointment at how short the game ran evaporated. Every little decision I made greatly affected the ending. So now do I not only want to replay the game as different characters to see their stories, but I’m also very curious to see all the possibilities for the endings. There was a huge hint that there would be a fourth DS game, and I’m curious if that will import one of your saves and choices a la Mass Effect, or if it will be a completely different story. I’ve never played any of the other DS games, so I have no real premise to fall back on as far as their history goes. I’ve been told that there is a DS movie, but I’ve also been told to stay far, far away from it. That always seems to be a good plan when it comes to video game movies.

Saturday night, I wrapped up Gears of War. I think my final clock tally was around 8 hours, and that was only because I died so much playing solo. I can’t imagine how quickly I could have finished it up if I played with a friend. I’m still on the fence with how I feel about it. The gameplay was generally fun, but I really need more of a story to action games than the eternal bromance this was. Awww, Marcus reconnected with his former commanding officer after he had the worst 36 hours of his life. Yeah, it’s not enough for me. However, this isn’t going to stop me from playing Gears 2. I had a lot more fun with that game and at least there I had an inkling as to what was going on.

So now I’m not sure how this has happened, but I’m pretty much caught up in terms of 2011 releases. All I have left is Ocarina of Time, and I don’t feel the pressure to get a move on that at all. I have two weeks before the next big guide review releases (Deus Ex), which isn’t enough time to really delve into other long games, especially since I’m hitting the beach this weekend. I suppose this means that I’ll play a lot of Gears 2 or whatever else I feel like at the time. This is such a weird sensation for me as I’ve had constant gaming deadlines since early 2010. I shall do my best to enjoy it.

inFamous 2 Mini-Review

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In case you hadn’t noticed from my Monday gaming diaries, I loved inFamous 2. I’ve rarely ever played a game through completion TWICE, so playing it twice back-to-back is rather unprecedented–I didn’t even play renegade Mass Effect right after I finished my paragon playthrough of ME2. Granted, by the time I got near the end of my evil playthrough of inFamous 2, I was more than tired of the gameplay and of the swamp monsters, especially.

However, I had to see how being evil changed things immediately. I wanted to know far more badly than I did Mass Effect. (It also helped that I knew I could burn through the story quickly, but that’s a different matter.) That says volumes about a game as someone who is never looking for replay value in a game.

As for the gameplay, when I said I was tired of it by the end, I really meant that I was tired of playing these missions again. Zapping people with lightning really never gets old, but there were some boss fights and mini-boss fights that I really didn’t want to relive. However, I think we can all say that about games. I personally loved the gameplay, aside from how “sticky” Cole would seem to get. In other words, Cole would gravitate toward things to climb up or grab all the time. While you’re trying to make a weird jump or float to a grindwire, this is awesome. But when you’re just running down the street, you don’t want to suddenly grab onto a pipe to climb, particularly when you’re getting shot at from all directions. This is, though, my only complaint so hey, if that’s all I found wrong with it, then there’s really not much a problem.

Many complained that the game provided just more of the same from the game, with no real improvements on powers or newness to Cole’s abilities. I think this is another case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” I personally like that it kept the same premise and power ideas from the first game, especially since it let me float around from the get go. If the game deviated too much or tacked on even more, I think there would have been plenty of complaints that it wasn’t like the first game. After everyone bemoaned Cole’s new look, did anyone really think SuckerPunch was going to change up Cole’s powers?

So yes, inFamous 2 is basically more of inFamous, but that is exactly what this gamer wanted. If you’re a fan of the first, you’re definitely going to like the second. Just, uh, be prepared for the unusual endings.

inFamous 2 IGN Strategy Guide Review

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So it seems that IGN is moving towards wikis for their guides for some of the bigger games. Their wiki for inFamous 2 has been the first time I’ve ever seen it, so I’m assuming–probably wrongly so–that this is a new trend. It’s most likely a way for the IGN editors to connect with more of their readers and encourage them to contribute to the site in some way. The guides seem to be written by the IGN guide editors, but then it looks like IGN members can make edits. What this all adds up to is some seriously sloppy work, and oh how it shows.

Right off the bat, I’m smacked with incorrect capitalization of the game’s own title. It’s one thing to capitalize the “i” in inFamous 2 at the start of a sentence, but it’s absolutely incorrect to do so within a sentence. Look at the game case, people. It can’t be that hard. Shortly after I get over that, I see a bunch of grammatical errors. I expect this when I look at GameFAQs guides, but on IGN where there are editors for this stuff? Inexcusable.

As for the content of the guide itself, the walkthroughs are okay; at least those that have anything written at all are okay. That’s right, the walkthroughs are not finished. In addition, the ones that are finished have few to no screenshots. The trophies guide has zero screenshots as well. Don’t expect any maps, either, unless you need a map for dead drops.

And while there is a fairly helpful tutorial for the user-generated content options, there are no walkthroughs for any of the side missions. I can think of more than a few side missions that could potentially need assistance. I can understand these not being finished–I mean, the main walkthrough isn’t finished–but to not have them listed at all?

Now one thing that is super useful with the IGN inFamous 2 guide is their section on finding blast shards. They divide up the blast shard locations by four sections of New Marais, and they show on a map which section is which. From there, users can click on the particular regions and find every blast shard, screenshot by screenshot. When you know a blast shard is in a particular spot, and you can’t figure out which building or tree it’s attached to, these screenshots are a lifesaver from frustration. So for those who only want a guide for help with the blast shards, then here is your best option.

Sad to say, IGN’s guide does not warrant any recommendation beyond the blast shard assistance. It’s incomplete, it’s not written well, and it overall reeks of sloppiness.

SGR Grade: 2

 

Monday Gaming Diary – Dungeons and Gears

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Dungeon Siege IIINow that I have played a considerable amount of Dungeon Siege III, I have to say that it is unbelievably awesome. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve played an action-JRPG that wasn’t a button masher. Instead, it’s a bit of a cross between the typical action-JRPG and Dragon Age: Origins. Maybe a little like White Knight Chronicles. However you want to look at it, you won’t get very far by simply pressing the A button.

The story isn’t earth shattering, but it’s intriguing enough to keep me interested. I know there’s a plot twist coming, and I have an idea of what this twist might be, and I really, really hope I’m wrong. If I am right, then ugh, DS3 will fall by the typical JRPG wayside when it comes to story. That would make me a sad panda indeed.

As much as I wanted to play DS3 through the weekend, the reminder that Gears 3 is releasing in about a month forced my head to turn back to Gears of War. I only have one act left, so I should be able to finish it this weekend before I go on my beach vacation. Sad to say, I’m a little disappointed in the game.

The gameplay is fun, so don’t get me wrong there. I wish my hubby and I could cooperate and play this game together, as I see the beauty in how much more fun this game could be to play with another soul.

However, I’m a story-driven gamer, and the fact that I have no idea what is going on in this story other than I need to kill all these nasty things that are killing all of us is not doing it for me. Maybe I’m not catching all the hints toward the back story because I’m so busy trying to stay alive. Or maybe the game really does a poor job of narration. If it wasn’t for the guide, I would never have known exactly why Marcus was in prison, why we’re planting the resonator in the factory, or why I need to hijack this train.

None of this would really bother me so much if I hadn’t bought this game strictly for the purpose of learning the background story for Gears 2, a game I like far more. I was hoping to learn where the Locust came from–outside of under the ground–and more about the state of the world since the Locust arrived. So far, none of what I’ve learned from Gears seems that important other than how Marcus and Dom met Cole and Baird.

I know I probably shouldn’t have been expecting much, especially since this seems to be such a stereotypical meathead game, but I still had hope. I’ve been told that the story develops better in the second game, so I’m definitely ready to get back to that. And hopefully the husband and I can play the sequel together again. We seemed to do well with it the last time we played.

inFamous 2 Strategy Guide Review

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inFamous2 Strategy Guide ReviewInFamous 2 had a lot to live up to due to its predecessor’s high bar of quality, and its strategy guide had very similar standards to live up to. I raved and glowed over the inFamous strategy guide, and I expected the same results from the inFamous 2 strategy guide, even though they come from two different publishers. With the exception of a few annoyances, BradyGames’ strategy guide for inFamous 2 did not let me down.

The walkthrough is as straight forward as the game’s story missions, and while it’s next to impossible to get lost with the walkthrough’s assistance, it’s very possible to get frustrated with the occasional lack of direction. For example, the tesla missile missions are quite possibly the most frustrating missions in the story. The player is given very little direction as to where the tesla missile needs to be guided, and the guide offers almost nothing in addition. For the most part, this is fine, but a little map of where you’re supposed to end up with a screenshot of the final destination would have been really, really nice for some of the trickier tesla connections. And in other instances, when the guide does give tips on where to send your tesla missile, there are far easier routes to be found than those given, such as those in Fort Philippe.

My only other gripe with the story walkthrough is its spoilers. The inFamous 2 strategy guide is one of those guides that has every piece of the narration and action written down. If you look too far ahead, such as while flipping to the next section for help with side missions, you may accidentally stumble upon a major spoiler. That said, I’d rather a guide say too much than too little, so this isn’t detrimental, but it was still a bit annoying to me to see all of the cut scenes dictated out before me while I’m trying to find exactly where I need to go post-cut scene.

However, anyone who has played inFamous 2 knows that the story is not what takes up most of the time of the game; it’s collectible hunting and the side missions that eat up your time, and fortunately, this is where the strategy guide shines the most.

inFamous2 Strategy Guide ReviewMost of the side missions are far more difficult and/or tedious than the story missions, and you can’t unlock a good number of them without performing a certain act first, whether it’s by completing a particular side mission or killing a specific person in a specific location. All side missions in the strategy guide are organized by the time of their appearance, so it’s fairly easy to find out which side mission you are missing without flipping through the entire section. Every side mission has its own map and clear set of screenshots, and side missions are never found on two pages outside of the fold. It was incredibly easy to quickly look down at the book and figure out instantly where I needed to go next. This was especially helpful for the Overcharge missions (see image on right).

Another section in the guide contains separate maps for the blast shards and dead drops, which I really only found useful for the dead drops. There are way too many blast shards for a map alone to really be useful, especially when trying to hunt down those elusive ten last shards. In that situation, it’s really best to do 60 side missions and acquire the blast shard sensor upgrade.

The most useful part of this section is the trophy guide. Many of the trophies are straight forward, but a number of them are a bit baffling, particularly the one that contains the secret to finding the last dead drop. For example, the Mountaineer trophy is awarded for climbing to the top of the three tallest buildings in New Marais. While one can simply climb to the tip top of every building and hope one of the climbs will sound the chime, it was nice to have them all neatly pointed out as well as provide tips for combining trophy attempts.

For bonuses, the inFamous 2 strategy guide includes a very hefty section on creating your own levels for the UGC–something that all of the UGC creators should have looked at before shelling out their drivel for the trophy. And of course, there is a back section just for fans consisting of gorgeous concept art and interviews with the game’s creators. In other words, this guide is not missing a thing.

BradyGames has knocked yet another strategy guide out of the park with their inFamous 2 strategy guide. Not even a tour guide could give you a better tour around New Marais.

SGR Rating: 4.5/5

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