I play Roguelikes for the story. Except Spelunky.

http://spelunkyworld.com/

I hate roguelikes. I want my characters to show the fruits of my hours, whether it's better weapons or unlocked skills. In a game genre where every time you die, you start over from scratch, it's hard for me to play these games without ripping the rest of my hair out. Every run, I can feel my heart beating out of my chest. Not so great for someone who's been enjoying the laid-backness of games like Terraria or Rune Factory. And throw in that there's usually absolutely no story progression through gameplay (don't die is not a storyline), roguelikes just aren't my thing.

But recently, I stumbled on a 2009 indie hit created by Derek Yu called Spelunky. I was watching a YouTuber on a Let's Play, and I was intrigued by the game mechanics, the close calls, his many deaths, and also by his triumph. After finding out that the game was free, there wasn't much for me to lose by at least trying out the game...

...except several hours. Spelunky is an action adventure game, where you traverse/bomb/climb different terrains in search for treasures, saving random damsels in distress, avoiding deathtraps, and eventually escaping with all your rewards.  No map is the same, even when starting over. Within the first hour I played, I died 10 times (they keep track). But knowledge of how to deal with certain enemies or remembering how far you can actually jump make each successive trip a little less painful.

While it's hard for any laid back gamer to enjoy this type of pressure, Spelunky offers is a severely challenging, yet delightfully rewarding experience. No matter what kind of gamer you are, you should give Spelunky a try. It's awfully refreshing.

Throwing Money At My Screen: Stardew Valley

http://stardewvalley.net/

(All images are from the official site. Can't make my own screenshots when the game isn't out yet..)

Stardew Valley is being developed by ConcernedApe and published by Chucklefish.

The game is still in development, and I'm sure my attempts to try to describe the game won't do it justice. So I'll just let the trailer do the talking.

Hard to believe this game is being developed by one person.

I can't really categorize this game well. I can label it as a sandbox farming game. But I think calling it an "everything" game is more appropriate., because from the looks of it, you can pretty much do anything. From starting your own farm to mining caves, or courting a future wife to fighting off slimes. And there's still new content information to be released, including multiplayer co-op.

So far, there's a couple of demo videos on Youtube. And from the looks of it, the potential of the game is through the roof. 

Oldschool graphics. But don't let that deter you from the gameplay

In a genre that's dominated by Harvest Moon and to a smaller extent, Rune Factory, Stardew Valley looks to add a fresh take on a dying game style. There's no release date set (the estimate is some time in 2013), but until then, I'll just continue to throw money at the screen, hoping the game comes out now.

Precipice of Darkness 3: Random Hilarity

Penny Arcade's On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is a 2D RPG developed by Zeboyd Games. The story follows Gabe and Tycho after the first two games as they battle gods, mimes, walking skulls, and many other assorted enemies during somewhat of an apocalypse.

I played the first Precipice of Darkness, but couldn't get through the second. But while the original two offered 3D graphics, the 3rd installment under a new developer took the oldschool Final Fantasy feel to the game.

So did the oldschool style hinder the gameplay? Or did the new devs take the game to a different level?

Warning: If you intended to play the game, screenshots = SPOILER ALERT

Thoughts 

I never really read Penny Arcade comics. I barely knew about them before I played the games. But the humor is evident in this game. And not just completely cheesy humor, but witty and satirical; my favorite kind.

Oh. Le humor.

 And not just the dialogue was humorous. You can tell the writers took the effort to put some kind of humor in everything. From the enemies and their descriptions, the items, the skill names. Literally everything had a humorous ring to it.

Even the items give snarky comments

The gameplay as you can see is reminiscent of the old SNES Final Fantasies. It's essentially a turn-based menu-based game. Unlike the traditional RPGs, you don't start off with MP, but rather you gain a point every turn or by using items or particular skills.

The battles can drag out pretty long, as some enemies have an enormous amount of health, but to combat battles from being long stall-fests, every so often, the enemies get stat boosts. So the longer the battle, the harder it becomes.

That octopus thing reminds me of Ultros from FFVI...

Turn-based fighting at it's finest

At the end of every battle, you'll regenerate health, your items replenish, and your MP goes back to 0. Also, if you die, you just reappear right before the enemy you just lost to. The game doesn't punish you for going all out every fight, and it doesn't waste your time by forcing you to start at the last save point.

Something different from the previous games is the introduction of classes. Each character has one innate class, and is able to add on two additional classes. Each class adds passives and skills for the player's disposal. As you level up, you gain more skills and passives. The game also doesn't completely force you to grind every class, as even the dormant ones gain experience (albeit slightly slower, but not enough to make you rip your hair out if you decide to change it up)

So many classes to pick and choose!

The music in the game is kinda whatever. As with most games, the longer you play them, the more they stick in your head. While there's not an anthem that will find it's way to my mp3 player, it's not annoying to where you would just turn the sound off.

Traditional walking around maps and not so random battles

There isn't much exploring to do in the game. The overworld map is in the style of Super Mario World, and the maps themselves are all linear (minus the paths to treasure chests). There was never a time that I felt I was underleveled, but in some parts of the game, there were just way too many battles. And you can't avoid most of them.

Not much exploring on the "overworld".

Overall, Precipice of Darkness 3 is still a better game than the previous two. The main story took me about 7 hours to complete. And while the gameplay itself was somewhat outdated, the story and writing makes the game funny. So if you find yourself needing to kick back an play an oldschool lighthearted RPG, give this game a try. You could do worse.

Gnomoria: So the Gnomes Created a Time Machine...

http://gnomoria.com/

Gnomoria is an indie sandbox/strategy game developed by Robotronic Games. The game is still in it's alpha stage, and content is being added on a weekly basis.

When I first played the demo of Gnomoria, I was a little overwhelmed. I was having fun, but there was a lot to learn before I could get my feet off the ground. But after spending some time on some forums, sticking my nose in a wiki, I found this game to be one of the most enjoyable sandbox experiences I've ever had.

For some odd reason, you are granted control of a gnomadic (hah) tribe of gnomes who have finally decided to settle. Each gnome is assigned a job to complete, whether it's a woodcutter, a miner, or a builder (completely customizable).

One of the first things I noticed in this game; it's incredibly easy to pick up. For such a seemingly complex concept, things are right in front of you in the form of a menu. The UI is well made, and things are pretty self-explanatory (some things you WILL have to do some reading on though). The menus also make it incredibly easy to keep track of each individual gnome.

So many different stats...

So you start off by mining into some random wall to start your base, farm some land for food, cut some wood, etc. Seems simple enough. You build crafting stations to build furniture, walls, statues, weapons, bandages, or construct anything else your mind can conjure up. Slowly but surely, your kingdom will start to grow, your gnomes will have some beds to sleep on, and life appears easy.

...until the first summer, when the jealous goblins begin attacking. You'll learn quickly that you need to raise up an army to combat the incoming invasions. No really, you need to raise up an army. I think the first two times I played, I didn't make it past the second day of summer.

The gnome quarters, as well as the farms/pastures

As you survive and make your kingdom more mighty, you will attract more gnomads to immigrate on your land. But as your kingdom grows bigger, you attract more enemies, such as ogres, better equipped goblins, or the ever annoying mants. And really, there's not much else to write in terms of basic gameplay. The goals, the objectives, the stories write themselves. And while you're doing that, time just seems to fly.

I started naming my gnomes, and they began to create their own backstories. The game even keeps track of the enemies your gnomes kill.

I built a small town for funsies

 And while my first two gameplays only lasted 30 minutes (I died pretty fast), the current game I'm has me hooked with well over 25 hours.

Gnomoria might not be a fun game for everyone, but if you want an interesting take on a sandbox game and you love to create your own stories and you're willing to put in some time to learn, this is an amazing game. And while it's still in Alpha stage, the devs are highly receptive to player input. One can only wonder what kind of content is to come.

Bioshock Infite: Whoa. What? Wow.

Two general facts about my gaming life: I suck at console FPS games and I despise when things pop out of nowhere and start killing me. For those reasons, I had stayed away from the other two Bioshock games. But for some reason, Bioshock Infinite gave me a different original impression from the other games (Above ground? Yes please), so I decided to give it a try.








Now, I know a lot of the criticism of the game stems from the trailer showing things that weren't implemented. Honestly, I didn't even see a trailer (I saw a very short clip of one of the cutscenes) so I came into the game with moderate expectations. Except the story itself was extremely hyped up for me.

So here is my take on Bioshock.

WARNING: I WILL accidentally slip out some spoilers. I'll try to black out the huge ones. And note, I played on Normal difficulty setting.

Gameplay

Again, I didn't play any of the other Bioshocks. I read up on the stories on Wikipedia a while ago to educate myself, and I watched parts of some "Let's Play!" videos, but otherwise, it was a new experience to the series for me. But from what I gathered, things were relatively the same; a gun in one hand, magic powers in the other.

Combat-wise, it was the way any FPS should be played; kill stuff before they kill you. There was a wide assortment of enemies, all with annoying nuances. Also, enemies don't seem to miss.

You only have two weapon slots, meaning you can only carry two weapons at a time. While this is initially disappointing due to the arsenal you have access to, eventually I came to accept this as a strategic point of the game. It also forced me to use guns that I wouldn't normally use, due to running out of ammo, etc.

A HUGE factor in fights is your partner giving you health/ammo in the middle of fights. This saved my butt many times in big fights.

But overall, the game didn't really seem like a difficult game. It was more of a storybook with a shooting component to add to the effect. But after you finish the game once, you unlock the super difficult mode. And because I suck at FPS games, I didn't bother.

Story

The title to this blog post sums it up. You pretty much know nothing throughout most of the game. When you think you find answers, you just end up asking more questions. I'm really glad the writers took somewhat of a risk in the story telling. The product was a mindblowing experience.

Time itself is already confusing. Alternate dimensions is also confusing by itself. But when you combine both of them, the ending was so thought provoking, I spent the next day reading up different theories on forums.

While the game itself was very short, I don't think it needed to be any longer. Nothing ruins a story more than countless sidequests that do nothing to further the character development.

There are collectibles in the game that help further the story, but these aren't required to get the big picture understanding of the happenings. 

Atmosphere/Visuals


The game starts off in a lighthouse with a dead guy in it. 
Then you get blasted off into the air into this utopian society. Great.

But the change from peaceful to "OMGOSH I JUST SEVERED HIS HEAD" was so immediate, adrenaline kicked in pretty quickly.

And with the game not answering many questions until the end, the maps only contributed to this "I need to find out what's going on" feeling. One thing I really appreciated about this game is that pretty much every door was explorable.  Details weren't skimped on, from Propoganda posters to prices of train fares. It gave a feeling that this place as a real city.

 Final Notes


The ending was mind blowing, to say the least. But with a story so immersive, I wonder if the amount of violence was necessary.

Either way, Bioshock Infinite was one of the most immersive games I've ever played. While I can't really justify the game costing $60 for about 7 hours of gameplay, it definitely had one of the most unique storylines you'll ever see in any form of entertainment.

Path of Exile: Partially What I Hoped Diablo 3 Would Become

Path of Exile is a free MMORPG developed by Grinding Gear Games. It is an Action RPG/Dungeon Crawling game with heavy emphasis on loot, with a 2.5D graphic style similar to the Diablo series.

This game was explained to me to be the sequel to Diablo 2 that we never got in Diablo 3. Some brief personal history, I played Diablo 2 extensively (binge playing over many years) and I had pre-ordered/played the crap out of Diablo 3 the first few months. However, I was sorely disappointed in many aspects of Diablo 3, which made me uninstall to never look back.

In come Path of Exile. I hate playing games with a hyped mindset, so I waited a bit before going through. Is it Diablo 2.5? Or did it create it's own place in gaming?

Story

My friend described the stories to loot-driven games best when he said "I know the story; get better stuff". I'm sure there's an interesting and deep lore, but let's be honest, that's not the main reason why we play these games.

Gameplay

In terms of basic gameplay, there's nothing too new here. Point, click, spam skills, spam pots, kill stuff, loot, repeat. You go through a campaign, beat the last boss, start in the beginning of the story of a higher difficulty.

So what makes this game from being a complete washout?

One of the first things I noticed was the skills system.

Let's start with the skill tree.

Aggresive with the Passives

Has FFX influence written all over.

So every time you level up (or finish certain quests) you gain skill points. These are to go into a tree (shown above). They are all passive skills that range from raising your strength, to granting extra health, or even some special skills like making your zombies explode.

It is very similar to the Final Fantasy X and the sphere grid. There are six playable classes in PoE, but the only real difference between them is where they start on the passive tree. This provides a guideline of how the characters can turn out, but you're not confined to a traditional class. So in turn, you end up with some fun builds or some funky hybrids (a bow wielding tank or an axe-wielding mage? yes please).

Make a mistake? No don't need to start all over. The game is pretty generous in granting you refund points in case you mess up slightly. There is a cap to how many skill points you can get (whatever the max level currently is), so half the battle is sitting in front of the tree to decide what path you want to take.

But that's not the only thing that's Final Fantasy-esque...

Smells Like Materia

The materia system in FFVII was one of the best skill systems implemented in any RPG game. PoE borrows the concept and takes it a little further.

That mallet would be better if it had skills.

As shown in the screenshot above, your weapons and armor (minus the belt) have sockets. Throughout the game, you will find different skill gems to put into those slots of different colors.

The red Glacial Hammer skill can only go into a red slot

Each of these skills are either blue, green, or red (usually corresponding with the magic, agility, or strength stat respectively).

Not all skill gems are active skills. Some are support, such as Leech Life or Add Fire Damage. If you look closely at the screenshots, the slots have links between them. This is necessary for these support gems to work.

This synergizes well with the skill tree, in that every class has access to every skill. Every character can be completely different.

UGH. I found a superior quality 19% yellow circlet. I needed 20%!

For anyone who is familiar with loot farming games, the above statement is a joke and a reality. Your idea of perfect loot is usually off by 1% of some obscure stat. But because of that, the value of your loot dropped by about 75%.

PoE makes it slightly less frustrating (albeit still frustrating) with orbs.

The first time I saw one, I felt like a king.

There are many different types of orbs like the one pictured above, each with a different property and rarity. So if you find a 5 slotted armor with no links? An orb of fusing gives you a chance to link them all together. Found a high level white armor? Use an orb of alchemy to make it rare. Don't like the stats? Use an orb of chaos to reroll the item. There's even an orb (or mirror) to duplicate the exact same item.

But even with this concept, it's not like your ideal equipment is easy to obtain. The odds are excruciatingly low for certain mods. Still, it might keep you from throwing away every single "almost awesome" piece of equipment you find.

And because there is no "gold" currency in this game, the orbs have naturally become the currency of the PoE economy. So in one sense, it's hard to quantify exactly what things are worth, but on the other end, you're one orb drop away from being extremely rich.

Microtransactions Done Right

As far as I know, minus some aesthetic items and like, 2 or 3 skills, non-spending players have access to everything in the game as cash spenders. Unlike most f2p games currently which force the cash shop upon you, I don't think I've even seen the cash shop itself the entire time I played the game. The microtransactions are put on the players if they want to support the game, not if they want to win faster.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, PoE is a solid addition to the clouded MMO market. It implements some unique systems to an otherwise overplayed genre, and the developers are committed to add content for years to come, which makes current endgamers hopeful of an endgame beyond endless loot farming.

But a lot of things that Diablo 3 did wrong, Path of Exile is doing right. I'm aware both series have their respective fans, but in my opinion, listening to your players is a good idea in game developing. Diablo 3 started that a little too late for me. But PpE seems to be going on the right path.

Top 10 of 2012!

2012 was a game that was filled with a lot of games. Whether it was PC or the DS or anything in between, I sure had my share of playing time with a wide variety of games. So with the end of the year, I bring you the top games that I played in 2012.

Which means the game didn't have to be released in 2012, just that I played it in 2012. Also, games that I completed. I started a lot more than I finished, and some were even promising (current endeavor being Fallout: NV).

Honorable Mention: Bastion

I don't like platformers. Usually. But there was something different about this game. Maybe because the combat was fluid. Maybe the storyline was gripping. Maybe it was the deep husky voice of the narrator as he speaks my every move. The game itself is kinda short; about 6 hours. But none of that mattered. Throw in a unique art style, this game deserves an honorable mention.

 10. Rebuild 2

Starting off the top 10 is a flash game off of Kongregate. In this day and age, it seems most zombie games have been FPS point and click (or aim and shoot) then heads explode, but Rebuild 2 approaches the zombie genre from a different perspective.

Think of this as a Civilization game, but with zombies and definitely not as complex. You start in the middle of a zombie infested town with a couple of survivors, then ordering certain actions each day, you expand your boundaries, scavenge for food, rescue new survivors, or exterminate some zombies. With a turn-based system, one would think this game would be rather slow, but the reality of a zombie horde waiting at your doorstep to attack keeps you on your toes. There are also multiple endings achieved by different means, and you never know which is gonna be the most convenient way to win until you explore your boundaries. The music and sound along with the art create an environment and experience that most flash games find difficult to accomplish.

 I played the first Rebuild, and I remember it being fun, but the second game grabbed my attention for multiple playthroughs. Shoot. I even played enough to get the 30 point badge on Kongregate. A solid choice to start off the top 10.

So let's get this started!

9. Space, Pirates, and Zombies (SPAZ)

Such an odd coupling of names, but this indie game gets the nod. I bought this game during a random sale for $2.00, not really expecting a whole lot. But I found myself immersed in space, trying to please different factions, farming off some asteroids, building new ships for my fleet, while trying to fend off some pirates and zombies. There was a lot of freedom in this game to pick and choose your allies and foes, which is always a plus in my book. Also the amount of customization in this game is amazing, with different ships, ship parts, weapons, and even specialists for your crew.

My only qualm about this game is the need to farm Rez (money) and the tediousness of the process. At first, it doesn't seem like such a big deal. But if you're in need of a huge amount (like, after a big fight), you'll spend an hour just flying around in a circle.

Regardless, this game is still being updated (fixes, new content), and I hope they implement new ideas to make this game even more fresh and fun.

8. Recettear
So you're an adolescent girl named Recette, who wakes up to find a fairy, telling you your dad is gone. And oh. He owes the bank a huge amount of money and you have to raise enough money to pay things back in a weekly manner. (geez).


At first glance, Recettear doesn't look like the other games I have on this list because it looks so.....cartoony. Straight out of an anime or something. And as in most anime games like this, there is a dungeon crawling aspect to it, where you fight slimes or bees or stuff like that then you get some loot to sell back in town.

Cept in this game, you have your own shop, where you can set your own prices and even haggle with buyers/suppliers to maximize your profits. On top of that there are market conditions, when certain things become fads or when there's an excess of other things.

The combat is a little clunky at times, but there are different mercenaries that you can hire to obtain better loot for you.

The survival mode is just crazy, as the installments of money you have to pay back get pretty ridiculous after a certain point. But it adds some good replayability to the game.

7. Sleeping Dogs

I'm a fan of open world/sandbox games. I like being able to explore and not feeling confined to a strict storyline. Sleeping Dogs was a great  while it lasted. It helps that I understand some Cantonese (although, I learned a lot of curse words while playing this game), but Sleeping Dogs created an environment suitable for an open world game. There are many collectibles, different types of quests, different people to beat up, and unlike the GTA games, there is a well-tuned, focused on melee hand-to-hand combat (guns can sometimes make games boring).

The story is passable. It did grip me for a bit, but it's nothing that will be awarded. Also note that, while you are a cop, you aren't restricted from pulling crimes.

The game just lacks the amount of content needed to make a name for itself in the open world market. You can leisurely 100% the game in 30 hours. Even in the DS version of GTA:Chinatown Wars, I found myself discovering new things and unlocking new content even after the main storyline was complete.

This game has a good base, but I finished the game wanting more. With the current trend in video games nowadays, I won't be surprised if they add more content DLCs just to keep banking.

6. Rune Factory 3

I wrote a post about this game already. And I also played this game a few years ago, so I wasn't sure if I should've added it to this list. But with the amount of time spent (even as a second playthrough) and the amount of fun I had, it definitely deserves a mention.

A Harvest Moon game where you can also kill stuff. I think that hits my favorite genres.

One thing that I realized later that made this game so playable was the lack of loading screens and fluid controls/gameplay. Everything is quick (they even have a home teleport spell) and easy to comprehend. Granted, you don't need to play the game at high speeds; you can fit everything you want to do during the day if you just play casually.

I tried to play the Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny on the Wii, but it lacked the depth and fluidity that the DS counterpart brought. Truly a gem of a game.

5. Portal 2

Yes I'm late. Very very late. But better late than never! I played the first game with no expectations and I loved it.

I started the second game and the results were the same. And while the puzzles and mechanics were getting stale by the end (find a white wall. Shoot white wall. Go through white wall), the genius in this game is in the writing, not the gimmick. Every line that was written was entertaining and added depth to the world inside Aperture. And while the game was relatively short, I think the length was perfect for the game. Better short and concise than long and draggy.

4. War of the Immortals

If you look at any MMORPG out there nowadays, this one doesn't even compare. Other games have better graphics, better stories (if there is one), better gameplay mechanics, etc. I've played a lot of MMOs in the last few years, and a lot of them got stale within the first 10 minutes of playing.

But for some reason, this was the one that captivated my attention.  Maybe it was because it was so easy to level. There's a sense of progress when you gain that many levels that fast, and boy is it addicting. Throw in the encouragement of joining a guild (maybe I was just lucky I found one with cool people?) and different instances and events, I found myself getting two characters to level 100 while spending between 200 to 300 hours total on it (Steam only logged about 150, but I was off Steam for most of my gameplay).

If you want to get into the MMO environment, this isn't the best game you can play. But if you like leveling fast and fighting in groups (built in botting/auto-walking) this is the game for you.

3. Minecraft

I don't understand why this game exploded the way it did. It's such a simple concept that has now become a cash cow. I also don't understand how I managed to use up so much time playing this game.

Seriously.

I'll be chipping away at cobblestone, chopping down some trees, building a new house/town, and a whole day (in real life) has passed. And it doesn't feel like it.

I had this problem when I played Terraria last year as well, but in Minecraft, the addiction stemmed from playing with others. Being a builder, it was fun to build a home, log out, then log back in to find your friends built their home or things like that.

Also, the fact that you can just be downright silly while playing this game. One of my fondest gaming memories has to do with one of my friends stepping on a pressure plate connected to TNT, which exploded his own home.

And ah. The sense of "YESSS" when you find a diamond.

Honestly, if i found a group of people to play this with, I'd still be playing.

2. Borderlands 2

I was skeptical of pre-ordering this game. Especially after I paid full price for Diablo 3, only to dislike it so much that I left a negative review of it on Amazon.

But from the loading screen until the last minutes I played, I thoroughly enjoyed my Borderlands 2 experience. There was just so much content and it was just so much fun. I played most of the game co-op with 3 other people, so I'm sure that added to the fun factor. But there was just so much to explore. So many guns to find. So many easter eggs to stumble upon. (minecraft. Wha?)

And the writing. If the genius of Portal is in the writing, the genius of Borderlands 2 is the gameplay and the writing meshed together. They took risks with the storyline, threw a few curveballs, and with every mission, kept me wondering what was gonna happen next. Such good pacing, which has been rare in FPS shooters.

And no. Borderlands 2 does NOT need a COD-style multiplayer. Gosh no.

And the #1 spot goes tooo

1. Dungeon Defenders.

I didn't expect anything from this game at all. It was on sale for like.. a dollar, so I picked it up. Then I ended up spending the better part of my January/February playing this game.

Usually, tower defense games don't grip my attention. But being able to play co-op, able to hack and slash mobs, able to find better equipment and level up, Dungeon Defenders was never lacking in fun. There are just so many stages to try to master, different characters with different abilities/towers, and level cap that isn't a cakewalk to get, Dungeon Defenders offered a ton of depth for a game that was well executed and brought a new perspective to the tower defense world.



So there you have it. My top 10 for 2012. Let's see what 2013 may bring.