Saturday, May 6, 2017

4th Quarter burnout Warframe can suck it and Fantasy Life is fantasy fun

Posted by beni May 06, 2017

4th Quarter burnout Warframe can suck it and Fantasy Life is fantasy fun


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Welcome back! It�s been a while!





First up, a mention of my wife�s game-oriented craft site, where she has pics of the shirts and coffee sleeves she�s made for folks, BUT she also takes custom orders. If there�s a character or logo or anything like that you�d like to have on a shirt or whatnot, hit her up! Her stuff is all handmade and tip-top quality!




Next, here�s a roundup of some recent reviews @Gamecritics has published�


Dragon Age: Inquisition by @RichardNaik


Tales from the Borderlands: Zer0 Sum by @CapitalistPig21


Road Not Taken by Paul Stuart


Spirits of Spring by @SparkyClarkson


Escape Dead Island by�. Me!


Senran Kagura: Bon Appetit also by me


Volgarr the Viking by @GC_Danny




Whew! Now, let�s move on the the usual Coffeecola chatter�


SO, this is been a really crazy 4th quarter, and like most Decembers past, Im now reaching the burnout point where I just cant put up with the rapid-fire reviewing that the holiday release schedule demands anymore. My brain and my body are telling me "enough" and I want to get back to a more reasonable pace. As such, I took a break from the grind to try to catch up on some stuff that I havent had time for recently, but� it didnt really go too well.





Ive heard many people say that Wolfenstein: The New Order was one of their favorites this year, but I jumped into it and played until the third or fourth level... It seems fine, but I dont really derive a lot of pleasure from straightforward shooting, and I�m at a point in my life where walking around blasting Nazis doesnt do much for me. Nothing wrong with it at all, it just didnt grab me and I cant see myself putting any more time into it.




Later on, I had the wild idea that I would give Warframe another chance. I tried it when the PS4 launched, but it was just too rough at the time -- I figured I�d come back to it once it had been more polished. I heard it got a big update so I restarted a couple of months ago, but got distracted with something else and didnt even finish the tutorial. I came back tonight and wanted to delete my character and start fresh, only to find that� You cant.


I didnt remember what the controls were, I didnt remember anything about my character, I didn�t remember anything about the systems, I couldn�t re-do the tutorial� I find it totally unbelievable that the developers never foresaw a circumstance in which a person would want to delete an old character or start a new one.

I tried to remember where I left off, but too much time had passed and the game is a mess of too many menus, too much information and too much weird terminology all over the place. I found the whole thing incredibly unfriendly, and as much as I like the weird bio-organic visual aesthetic, these developers really dont have any frigging clue how to make it more approachable. I�m not sure they even care. I just deleted the thing and said to hell with it� Im not going to work hard to get into something if the devs aren�t going to meet me halfway.




While those two things were fails, I�ve been more than a little surprised to find that Ive actually been enjoying Fantasy Life on 3DS quite a bit.

Although it popped up on my radar a while ago, I didnt have any plans to play it for two reasons. First, Im not a big fan of level-5. I think their visuals are phenomenal, but their game designs always feel tired and grind-heavy to me. Apart from Professor Layton, its been years and years since Ive enjoyed any of their work. The other reason is that quite a few reviewers took a dump all over this game, calling it repetitive and shallow. That fit right in with what I expected from Level-5, so I bagged it.

So what made me change my mind and give it a shot? Well, I�m a superfan of the @Gaymebarpodcast, and I really respect what those guys have to say. Although I dont always agree with them, everybody on that show is whip-smart and they made an incredibly convincing case for it over the last few episodes. If not for Toups and Jeremiah, theres no way I would have given Fantasy Life a shot, but they really won me over and Im glad that they did.

So, what about it? Basically, the player starts off with a generic character and the game offers 12 different jobs for them to learn. They break down into a few major groups: combat, crafting, and gathering. Outside of mastering each of these jobs (or really, only as many as you want to) theres also a main storyline and a metric ton of sidequests for people who want more to do.


Basically, pick a job and start mastering it. If youre a combat class, then your sensei will have you going out to kill certain animals in order to increase your skill. If youre crafter, then you need to seek out ingredients in order to practice making the things that you make. If youre a gatherer, then youll have a list of things to go out in the world and find, and then those resources can be used to make things or can be sold.


One of the strongest aspects of Fantasy Life is that there are just so many different things to do. I started off as a Hunter and began killing things, but once I got tired of that I became a Miner and started gathering things. Once I got tired of that, I became a Chef and started cooking things� Its all very simple and open, and the game is all about letting players jump back and forth between activities anytime they feel like it. Youre never locked into doing something that you dont want to do, and theres always something else to try if the thing youre doing isnt fun anymore.

The game also goes above and beyond when it comes to keeping organized lists of all the different quests and pointing a player in the right direction. There are lots of reminders about what can be done and how to do it, and theres never really any question about what you should be doing next� Theres always a wealth of things to do, and clear instruction on how.

Ironically, a game like this can easily be seen as busywork, but it really captured my attention because Ive had such limited free time and no real ability to sit down and focus on anything for marathon sessions, so the simplicity and approachability of the game has been a perfect fit for me. It also helps that its cute as hell, and theres something very appealing about being set loose in this small-scale world and learning the lay of the land� At some point youll need to go into a forest to kill an animal, but later on youll come back to find minerals, or to chop trees. Giving each area multiple uses lends the world a greater degree of depth -- being able to learn the area and see it from different angles is something that few games can pull off easily.


I have to say, something like Animal Crossing doesnt have a fraction of the depth that Fantasy Life does, not to mention AC feels much more limited and repetitive, so Im not quite sure why so many people were quick to embrace ACwhile writing FL off as a grindfest. I mean, it�s certainly not a grand-scale RPG with a sweeping narrative and a vast world to explore� It�s a series of small jobs that people can do in small bites, but it does it well and its all very nice and neat. Maybe those reviewers were expecting something else, but I think Fantasy Life is really great at what it does, and at this point in my life, I am definitely a customer for what its selling.





************PR/NEWS/INFO************




Far off in the mountains, the small village Aslarga becomes a hub for adventurers looking for fame and fortune from the Mystery Dungeons. But dire challenges await even the most stalwart adventurers in Etrian Mystery Dungeon, the upcoming turn-based action RPG roguelike from Atlus U.S.A. Inc., and developed by ATLUS and Spike Chunsoft. Exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS�, Etrian Mystery Dungeon mixes Etrian Odysseys vast RPG party and skill customization aspects, and Mystery Dungeons infinitely random dungeon adventures. Etrian Mystery Dungeon will be available in spring 2015 in stores and on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS for $39.99. Game details and updates will be posted on the official website: www.atlus.com/etrianmd


Theres no hand-holding in Etrian Mystery Dungeon. The action/turn based combat means that battling monsters is not just about using the right skills, but becomes an elegant Pas de Quatre of strategic positioning. Players form their parties with familiar Etrian Odyssey classes, such as Landsknecht and Runemaster, customize individuals using Etrian-style skill trees, and then take up to four members into the dungeons. Always randomized with various levels and paths, the dungeons require plenty of exploration, not to mention the incredible loot rewards -- just be wary of what waits among the deepest depths... 


Main features in Etrian Mystery Dungeon include:

�  Infinite Dungeons to Explore - Etrian Mystery Dungeon incorporates the random map feature, which changes the floor terrain each time a player enters the dungeon. This core mechanic, inherited from theMystery Dungeon series, challenges the players with a new maze and stronger monsters every time, offering them unlimited replayability! 

�  Attention to Detail - The Etrian Odyssey tradition of party customization is in full effect for Etrian Mystery Dungeon. After the first journey as a Landsknecht, players can freely choose their party of 4 from up to 10 different class types. While each class has a unique skill set of its own, characters can also unlock new skills through skill trees.

�  Not Your Grandfathers Combat - The unique perspective in Etrian Mystery Dungeon means that special care will have to be given when selecting party members and upgrading their abilities. With dungeons chock full of enemies and all the loot and money collected at stake, being 100 percent certain in your partys abilities is crucial for making it out alive.

Etrian Mystery Dungeon will be available in North America in Spring 2015. The game will be available exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS� and is rated E10+ by the ESRB. For more information, visit the official website www.atlus.com/etrianmd


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Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced the digital release debut of METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS via the PlayStation�Network for the PlayStation�3 computer entertainment system on December 16, 2014, for an SRP of $19.99. The release marks the first time the acclaimed tactical espionage game has been made available as a digital download.


METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS is set in a battle-scarred future where huge conglomerates fight for supremacy using armies of handpicked mercenaries. This devastated world is seen through the battle-weary eyes of an older Solid Snake who is tasked with infiltrating a number of key locations across the globe, including the Middle East and South America. Snake�s story delivers a deep and involved campaign, filled with eclectic characters that push the aged hero to his limits.


Originally released in 2008, the groundbreaking METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS was the series� first exploration of non-linear stages, heralded the addition of a remote-controlled �Metal Gear Mk. II� droid -- the revolutionary OctoCamo suit that allows Snake to blend in with his surroundings -- and introduced an enhanced Close Quarters Combat (CQC) system. All of these elements have been carried forward and are being implemented on a larger scale for the upcoming, highly-anticipated METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN.


METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS for the PlayStation Network will be a 30 GB download.


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He�s back! Fan favorite and classic S.T.A.R.S. member Barry Burton will be returning in Resident Evil Revelations 2.  The man himself can be seen in the brand new reveal trailer and new batch of screenshots just released. Headed for the remote prison island in search of his missing daughter, Moira Burton, Barry meets brand new character Natalia Korda, a little girl who has a strange power that allows her to sense enemies and hidden items. Using this skill alongside Barry�s proven combat abilities, players will need to alternate between the two to survive the mysterious island and find Moira.

Each episode in Resident Evil Revelations 2 includes Raid mode content and two full playable scenarios focused on the previously announced Claire and Moira campaign and the newly confirmed Barry and Natalia storyline. Barry and Natalia will need to uncover clues as they fight to survive and their journey will lead them to terrifying encounters with two brand new enemies:  The Rotten and The Revenant. The Rotten have bones that are visible through their bodies and stop at nothing to hunt down the living, and the horrific Revenant are formed from parts of human beings sewn together.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 will release as weekly digital episodes at $5.99/�4.99/�5.99 each on the following dates next year:  

PlayStation Store North America
PlayStation Store EMEA territories
Xbox Live Global
Steam Global
Episode 1
17th February
18th February
18th February
18th February
Episode 2
24th February
25th February
25th February

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