The 30's! - 2012 Day 1

It's the end of the year again, and that means it's time for the 132nd Annual The 30's! Awards Show!  The 30's are a fairly random grouping of "Best ___ of 2012" with some commentary about the gaming industry while we're at it.  The rules are that your product needed to be released or discovered by VideoGamingAt30.com in 2012 to be eligible for one of our highly prestigious awards. If you or your product are selected for any of our categories, you may contact us at videogamingat30(at)gmail.com and we will make you up a fancy certificate and ship it off to you. 

Best Indie Game of 2012

FTL wins best Indie Game of 2012, hands down.  FTL started as a Kickstarter (we'll talk about that later, spoil alert) that funded and released and became something that people were just talking about.  FTL is a rogue-alike game with the difference being that you are traveling space trying to reach the end while being chased by a fleet of enemy ships. No two games are ever the same, and death is permanent, so you really need to be sure you want to send your crew to check out that abandoned station.  This is a really fun game, and we here at VG30 highly recommend picking it up.

Best Method of Bankrupting VG30

To date, VG30 has backed 20 projects on Kickstarter, having discovered it in February for the Order of the Stick reprint drive.  Since then, we just keep finding more and more projects that we want to be a part of and to date there's only been one instance of being a bit sorry we backed so much into.  That's going to be...

Biggest Disappointment from Kickstarter

Yes, Zombicide.  This was my biggest Kickstarter to date (soon to be surpassed by Kingdom Death), and it just fell flat of expectations.  The mini's are great, the materials are great, the concept is interesting, but it just doesn't hold up to expectations.  The game doesn't scale at all and begs for house rules to make it work.  The scenarios are presented in an absurd order, the first one that they give you is one of the HARDEST scenarios in the game to win, and the presence of the nigh unstoppable Abomination early in the game will all but cause player to flip the table in disgust.  Some people really like it though, so take this with a small grain of salt.

Best Experience with Kickstarter

Truth be told, we haven't had a completely positive experience with any project on Kickstarter yet.  Sure, there's projects we liked, like FTL and Order of the Stick, but so far there's been something off about all of them. Usually it's missing their ship dates.  This is totally reasonable as many of these are first time game creators who are trying to bring their dreams to life and don't know how finicky the production and shipping business can be.  Others don't update for months on end (looking at you Mobile Frame), or didn't follow their demo schedule at Gencon (Agents of Smersh) or sold their product at a convention before I had my copy of it (Zombicide).  Some continue to miss deadlines (Escape from the Temple Curse / Order of the Stick [get well, Rich!]) for fairly good reasons, but it's still not a 100% positive experience that I would recommend to anybody.  My best advice for Kickstarter newbies is to expect what you're backing to fulfill about 6 months later than they say they will and you won't be disappointed.

Best Board Game of 2012

Lords of Waterdeep takes Best Board Game of 2012.  After Wizards released terrible board games like Return to Castle Ravenloft for a couple years, my hopes of having a good game released were cut to nil and I left them for dead.  In comes Lords of Waterdeep, an amazing Euro style board game with Western elements that are blended in perfectly.  This has become a house favorite, and I can see if joining the ranks of introductory board games like Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan.  Everybody should give this one a try.

The 30's! continues tomorrow, where we'll get a little bit more Video Game oriented, promise!

Assassin's Creed 3 - Review

In my previous post, I mentioned several things about Assassin's Creed that was driving me nuts.  The monetary system is an unnecessary grind, the combat is rich with ever respawning guards that hinder your escape, and Connor is a novice of an assassin.  Now that I've finished the game, do I feel the same way?

All of that and more.

Say what?

Assassin's Creed 3 picks up where Revelations left off, with the main character, Desmond, knowing where the next part of the puzzle is because of time he spent at the end of Ezio's lifespan in the Animus, a machine that allows you to relieve ancestors memories. 

The twist to the beginning is very well done, and I don't want to spoil anything here for anybody that hasn't picked it up yet, but it's very evident as soon as you start playing in the animus.  Once you become a full fledged assassin, the game takes a turn into the sub-ordinary for the series. Gone are improving the town, and building a stronger armor and weapon set.  Now you can hunt wild animals for seemingly no reason at all other than to show that you can.  Sure, you can sell their parts, but for a pittance unless you have tons of bear skin.

I shall carefully hunt my prey for less money that I would get for pickpocketing a guard

Combat is still dodgy.  And by dodgy I mean that you will still counter-attack the entire game.  This is expected at this point in the series, but what's not expected is the seemingly endless supply of guards.  As you're forced into combat, the guards take more notice of you and if you so happen to hit level 3, well, good luck getting anywhere in town without having an army chasing after you.  It's not that it's so much different from previous versions, it's that there's SO MANY guards roaming around now, and they instantly spawn nearby and rush into combat.

There are some beautifully done moments in the game, particularly the sequences that replaces the old tomb raiding with new interactive exciting scenes that aren't impossible to do on your first try.  Additionally, I really liked the sequences with Desmond this time around.  More like this, UbiSoft.  To counter this, there are some particularly horrible sequences involving chasing characters that run exactly as fast as you do, so you have to either know the route they're taking, or hope the eventually trip up on somebody.  Good luck with those.

There are some amazing bugs in the system, and some of which I think were done on purpose.  The first such instance I ran into was immediately after speaking with Sam Adams, he tells me to follow him to an underground route.  Except he doesn't move.  No, you're expected to lead him to the route that is heavily guarded and you're either forced to leave him on the streets while you take the rooftops, or you'll be in combat the entire time.  Other bugs include becoming stuck on terrain, falling through terrain, missing eagle vision points and an over abundance of not explaining how anything in the game works.  This game needed another two months of polish before it was sent out.

I did try my hand at multiplayer, and it was fairly decent, much like previous iterations of the series.  I can't speak TOO much about it, but VG30 contributor Brian has asked that I mention that it's very well done.

Assassin's Creed 3 is a series of really cool events strung together by a story that doesn't hold at all true to the Brotherhood, side missions that fall flat, and an ending that feels like the studio was told to get it done quick because they have to ship.  Ubisoft, I expect much much more from your teams than what's been offered here, and I certainly expect more from the Assassin's Creed license. 

Assassin's Creed 3 - Status Update

After my 7 month old crawling daughter has gone to bed, I've been able to put in an hour or two of Assassin's Creed 3 in every night for the past couple of weeks.  As VG30 readers will know, Assassin's Creed is one of my favorite series, and I need to add that as a disclaimer because so far I'm really unhappy with this one.

I have no complaints about the beginning of the game (Chapters 1 - 6), I think it's clever and well done, and to avoid spoilers I'll simply say that it really goes down hill when you become a full fledged assassin.  Since I'm only about a third of the way through the game, I'm going to keep this limited to the top few things that are driving me nuts.

I Miss Banks

In previous Assassin's Creed games, you go around town improving it buy purchasing banks which then build interest for you over time so you're able to keep up with the latest weapons and armor.  There's nothing like that in this game.  Instead, you have to have people build you things, and then go to stores and sell them, or setup convoy systems that earn you about as much as you'd get from killing one guard.  It's a terrible system from what I've worked with so far, and is just cumbersome to the whole game.

Combat Sucks

Alright, that's not ENTIRELY true, as the block, parry, and counter system works pretty well in the new system.  There's two very big problems I have with it, though.  The hidden blade is worthless in combat.  In previous games, using the hidden blade was difficult, but could clear a group of guards in seconds with well placed hits.  In this version, you have to stab somebody 6 - 7 times in a combat cycle before they die.  I don't know if it's too elegant a system for a savage to use, but I've had to switch to sword play for every combat.

Second, and this is a real deal breaker, it is next to impossible to end open combat without running away.  Just this afternoon I was sneaking up on a guarded chest, when I was spotted.  In old games, no problem, take out the 3 - 4 guards, maybe a passing wandering guard group if things are going really poorly, and when they're dead, you're done.  There's an elevated alert status, you might have to rip down a few posters, but you're essentially safe.  In this game, guards will come from BLOCKS away to assist.  And they respawn.  And they keep respawning.  After fighting off 15 guards, there were more looking for me, so I had to retreat into a haystack where I was eventually on the risk of being found because there's ALWAYS one who breaks away and check the hay stacks.  I understand that I'm fighting an army and probably need to change tactics a bit, but this makes me feel like a complete novice of an assassin.

Connor is a complete novice of an Assassin

I really hope this game moves towards a "I understand the creed now" story in the very near future.  Right now Connor is naive and I've literally yelled at the screen "Nothing is true!  Everything is permitted!" when he's gone on a "holler than thou" speech to various people in the storyline.  He feels like an Episode 4 Luke Skywalker still stuck on Tattooine whining about power converters.  Damnit Luke, there's so much more that's happening that you don't understand yet!  It's so discouraging after playing the bad ass that is Ezio. 

Three things that are making me not want to finish this game right now.  I'll be back with a full review when I finally slog through this.

The Ones to Watch - October 2012

October is already here, and it's always a big month for gamers.  This is the month that many publishers elect to release their big name titles for the Christmas shopping season.  Traditionally we get one to two titles in September, three to four in October, and then one to two in November, and sometimes we see a December straggler.  Let's take a look at the Ones to Watch for October.

XCOM : Enemy Unknown - Multi Platform -Now Available

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the sequel to XCOM: UFO Defense, which I'm betting many of the current generation of players have never even heard of, but gamers 30+ should be familiar with.  This one follows the same game play, which is 3/4 overhead RTS / Turn Base style, and is probably not going to do well with today's audience.  XCOM enthusiasts are excited about it though, so it's worth keeping an eye on.


Dishonored - Multi Platform - Now Available

Choose your own assassination.  Do you go in stealthy, or guns blazing?  Or do you possess a rat to attack your enemies with?  Dishonored reminds me of Hitman with super natural powers in a first person perspective.  It's Bethesda, so you know there's going to be some interesting ways to play (and likely lots of bugs..), but we shall see if it matches the hype it gained at E3 this year.


Resident Evil 6 - Multi Platform - Now Available

The reviews are in for RE6, and the general consensus is "Don't bother".  Choppy controls, and game play that tries to be too ambitious, making it lose something special in the process is what awaits the poor souls who have picked this one up.  If you're an RE fan, there's little I can do to try to persuade you, but try to look at that "6" and not see a giraffe in a rather compromising position.  Yeah.  You can't unsee that.


 NBA2k13 - Multi Platform - Now Available

One of the few sports games that VG30 nods it's head to, NBA2k13 is supposedly an excellent addition to the franchise, but they've polished the game so much in previous years, it can't jump it's own hurdles anymore.  Don't forget, it's "Better With Kinect".


Doom 3 BFG Edition - Multi Platform - 10/16/12

Hey guys, remember us?  We're id software and we made awesome games like Doom!  What's Rage?  Never heard of it!  Remember Doom, though?  Yeah!  It was awesome!  So we finally put out an edition where the future has lights attached to their guns!  Amaz... wait, where are you going?  Please come back!  I'll throw in a "Lost Mission"!  Wait! PLEASE!  WE'RE STILL RELEVAAAAAANT


Assassins Creed 3 - Multi Platform - 10/30/12

My personal pick for the month, Assassin's Creed 3, stars a new assassin, and is sure to answer some questions and ask whole new ones about the Brotherhood and the Templars.  We're working our way to a modern day game, slowly but surely.  What will this game have in store for us?  We shall see, but I'm betting I'm going to play the crap out of it.


Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Multi Platform - 10/30/12

Need for Speed has been around since 1994, and doesn't show any signs of slowing down.  This revisit to the Most Wanted license allows players to run through cities in licensed vehicles and is sure to appeal to street racing fans. 


Next Month

Next month the Wii U hits store shelves, so we get to see if Nintendo's gambit pays off.  It won't be settled by the end of the month, of course, but keep an eye open on store shelves to see if you can find one.  If you can, then it's doing worse than the Wii.

Halo 4 hits with it's new development team.  Can a studio that's not Bungie make a Halo game?  I'm holding off to see what it becomes.

What I've Been Playing - 10/1 - 10/9

Skyrim

I'm currently 20 hours into Skyrim and still really enjoying it.  It's starting to feel familiar to me, like Fallout did.  I see the appeal of this game, and am sorry I had so many other things going on that I didn't get to spend more time with it.  It's recommended for sure.

Quarriors

Quarriors is one of the games I like to break out when we only have four people for game night, so it's not something that comes out often.  It's like a deck building game, but with dice, and the games are always different, because each die has different cards that you can associate with them, giving them new powers and abilities.  It's a lot of fun, and currently 50% off at Think Geek.  Go check it out.

Lords of Waterdeep

I had picked this one up because of the praise that the board game community has given it, and was not disappointed.  If you're looking for an entry level euro style game with some American flavor, then it's definitely worth checking out.

Escape from the Temple Curse

I received my Kickstarter copy of Escape from the Temple Curse in, which is a cooperative real time dice rolling game where you run around a randomly generated temple activating crystals to get out before rocks fall and everyone dies, which happens after 10 minutes.  It's a quick fun game that I look forward to breaking out with more players.