Resonance

Use of this "How Long to Beat" website seems to have gotten the ball rolling again. I just finished "Resonance" last night. Achievement!

"Resonance" is an excellent game and proof that the adventure game genre is still alive and kicking, which delights me to no end. Can't keep a good genre down! The visual style of this game has a bit of a pixelated retro look that I like. There's something comforting about a 2D adventure game. That may just be my nostalgia kicking in. Resonance revolves around the mysterious and unusual death of a particle physicist who had made a discovery that has the potential to be used for great good or great evil. A group of four individuals get wrapped up in unraveling the mystery of his death which leads to an all out search for a secret vault containing the research of the deceased scientist. What they decide to with this research could have far reaching consequences.

As is standard adventure game fare, Resonance employs an inventory system you'd expect with the additional focus on interaction via dialogue. Finding the right topic to bring up to an NPC is as important as finding the right key to open a door...or the right golf ball retriever, severed hand, magnet combo to jam into a ball of twine. (Sorry...Sam and Max reference)

Anyway, this focus on dialogue is facilitated by the option to ask an NPC about any item you're currently carrying or about entries in your Long Term or Short Term Memory. Long Term Memory entries consist of major plot points or things you've learned along the way that you're likely to inquire about multiple times throughout the game. These are added automatically as you encounter them. Short Term Memory entries are added by you. Any item or person you can interact with in the game world can be put into your Short Term Memory, and you can then ask NPCs about that topic. This adds a little something to the standard formula.

Having four different player characters also adds some interesting puzzle opportunities not commonplace in other adventure games. There are some co-op style puzzles where your people have to work in tandem to solve them, there are some standard only person X can do action Y type puzzles, some straight up puzzle puzzles, and a fox/chicken/grain crossing the river type conundrum. (When you see that puzzle, you'll know what the hell I'm talking about.)

The puzzles aren't too easy, nor are they so difficult or ridiculous that you'd pull your hair out trying to figure them out. There were only a few instances where I was stuck, and once I figured out what they wanted me to do, I was kind of perturbed. This was mostly due to the fact that Long Term Memory options, for the most part, show you a bit of a replay of that scene as you remember it. The first time you're supposed to use them as a topic of conversation to solve a puzzle came more than an hour or so into the game, so it was semi-hidden surprise functionality that got in my way. Once you know that those can be used in that way, however, it's not a problem.

One of the biggest strengths in this game lies with the well developed characters and the excellent voice acting. The writing is strong, and you instantly get a sense of who these people are. When the situation evolves, leading them to make decisions counter to what you'd expect of them, that deviation has quite an impact on you as the player. I'm not going to go much into story because you should just play the damn thing. Haha! The point is...

The longer I played Resonance, the more I wanted to play Resonance. It is a very good game that I'd definitely recommend. LONG LIVE ADVENTURE GAMES!

Dammit, man!

Okay. I admit. I'm the worst. Here I am creating this blog about changing my procrastinating ways, and what happens? I start off strong, and then hit a 4 month slide.

Shut up. I've already admitted to being the worst.

The problem with backlogs is that the reason games get put there in the first place is that you're not frothing at the mouth to play them. Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age 2, Skyrim... All these games I got Day One and obsessively played them until they had nothing left to offer me. My backlog is full of fantastic games. I know this. That's why I bought them. Ah-doy. I've realized the problem lies in deciding what to play first. Looking at them as a mountain of time I'm never going to have is not a winning strategy. I have identified a problem and shall attempt to squash it. I just need to peel off one at a time and move through them methodically.

Enter "How Long to Beat.com".

I just discovered this site. It tells you exactly what you'd expect...how many hours it's going to take you to beat each game. It breaks it down by how long it takes to beat just the main story, the main story plus extras, or for the obsessive amongst us, how long it takes to beat the game whilst finding every hidden treasure, unlocking every achievement, playing every side quest, etc. I spent way too much time entering all my games into this site, but after the site bestowed its quantified gaming knowledge upon me, I decided to start out with "Resonance". It's a point-and-click adventure game from Wadjet Eye Games, and so far, I must say, it's pretty fantastic. As an adventure game enthusiast, it warms my heart to know the genre is still kicking. More on "Resonance" later.

They Don't Make Em Like They Used To

As planned, my 24 hour gaming marathon for charity was the perfect opportunity to start Icewind Dale. This game is enormous, and I really didn't put much of a dent in it even after 24 hours. Ah...they don't make 'em like they used to.

People say that all the time, but it's absolutely true. You will never come across a game nowadays that's going to easily take 100+ hours. It just doesn't happen. The only recent game that even comes close is Skyrim. I spent 70 some hours playing that, but that game's the exception rather than the rule. 30 hours is pretty standard fare nowadays or if you're playing a shooter, 10 hours since they just want the ability to check that "Single-Player Campaign" feature box. (I know, I know. FPS enthusiasts are in it for the multiplayer. Moving right along...)

Second thing, your party are utter wusses to start out with. If you Leroy Jenkins into danger, someone's dying. Guaranteed. Your 6 measly hit points are no match for...anything. After I lost a party member to a wolf who found its way into a house and later participated in death by goblins, I then remembered why I developed the habit saving my game compulsively, and also, why I used to come at mobs with more trepidation. Games used to be hard, teaching by letting the user fall on their face. People learn quickly that way, like a kid learning that touching hot things fucking hurts.

The era of the tutorial crept in while I was unawares. Starting a game where you're going to get your ass handed to you right away might cause users to give up on the game. The first experience of the game will be a nice stroll where you learn some UI stuff, some controls stuff, and no matter how inept you are, you're probably going to survive because you're practically invincible in Tutorial Land. Give the user that boost of self-confidence to keep soldiering onward because you're good enough, you're smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like you. The change to this methodology has been gradual, so I didn't really notice, but fuck that noise. I'd like to compare this to the weak practice of giving out trophies to kids merely for participating in sports. You didn't earn that, and it cheapens the reward for those who did earn it. There's got to be a bit of a challenge or the progression won't feel like an accomplishment. We're not talking "Demon Souls" caliber or that awful first section in "Driver" type of challenge but at least give me a taste of things to come.

Respect your audience enough to let them discover some things on their own and feel secure in the fact that if they encounter some trials and tribulations that they're not going to rage quit within the first 20 minutes. Quit holding my hand. I promise I won't go play in the street.

Progress

I'm not feeling real wordy today, but there has been progress made in this massive gaming venture. I beat Saints Row 3 this past weekend. ACHIEVEMENT! I thoroughly enjoyed that game, and if you've been thinking about picking it up, frickin' do it already. :)

To indicate this success, I'll need to update my "List of a Bajillion Hours". Also, I have dug myself in a deeper hole with a recent sale on GOG.com that I couldn't resist. I'll be adding Arcanum, Caesar III, King's Quest 1-8, Quest for Glory 1-5, and The Zork Anthology to the list.

I may have a chance to dig out at little though. This weekend, I'm going to be participating in the Extra Life 24-hour charity gaming marathon. First up, I'll be going into the GOG vault and playing Icewind Dale. Back in the day, my computer kept chugging trying to play this, so it's finally going to get its moment in the sun. There's no way I'll even put a dent in it with merely 24 hours, but it's a start.

Glorious Stats

I love stats. I wish I had stats tallied for my daily life. Why it says here that I've watched "Kill Bill" 57 times. Fascinating... Such a thing would require either me keeping a ridiculous amount of notes about my activities or having someone follow me around for all eternity, documenting the minutia of my life. Both of these options sound like a lot of work and are beyond creepy. I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with my Saints Row 3 stats.

I thought I was nearing the end, and the numbers corroborate this theory. Here's my progress in stat form. I'm being productive at being unproductive! Yay?

86% - Overall
36 of 47 - Missions Completed
56 of 56 - Activities Completed
18 of 18 - Neighborhoods Explored
11 of 17 - Neighborhoods Controlled
27 of 32 - Gang Operations Completed
64 of 64 - Stores Owned
17 of 20 - Drug Packages Found
20 of 20 - Money Pallets Found
20 of 20 - Sex Dolls Found
20 of 20 - Photo Ops Found
34 of 36 - Hitman Targets Eliminated
22 of 30 - Chop Shop Vehicles Delivered
15 of 34 - Homies Acquired
6 of 6 - Escorts: Completed
6 of 6 - Trafficking: Completed
2 of 2 - Guardian Angel: Completed
6 of 6 - Heli Assault: Completed
6 of 6 - Insurance Fraud: Completed
6 of 6 - Mayhem: Completed
6 of 6 - Prof. Genki: Completed
6 of 6 - Snatch: Completed
6 of 6 - Tank Mayhem: Completed
6 of 6 - Trail Blazing: Completed

Why Hello, Giant Screen

Steam has recently come out with a feature called "Big Picture". It's currently in beta, but it allows you to plug your computer into your television and use a controller to play Steam games. It combines access to my growing Steam library with the joy of sitting on my ass in front of my television! Wowee!

I hooked up my Alienware m15x laptop up with a DisplayPort to HDMI cable I bought just because "Big Picture" exists, and I used some MotionJoy program to get my PS3 controller to work with my PC. I don't know how I got it to work at all. MotionJoy is not super intuitive, and I felt like a monkey, screaming and banging on stuff hoping something would happen, but eventually it worked.

Big Picture's interface is pretty smooth. You can get around easily enough, but the trouble is, the majority of my games are not really controller friendly. Even games that you would think should be, like Bit Trip Beat, said they had "Partial Controller Support". I don't know where that partial support was because when I got in-game, my controller didn't do jack.

The Playstation controller wasn't really listed as a supported device though. I may be suffering from some pains of not using one that syncs up all nice, with little goading.

Even though the controller thing didn't work out as well as I'd like, I am still digging simply using my television as a beastly monitor. I played Saint's Row 3 for three hours in all its ginormous glory last night. No...I didn't need "Big Picture" to do that... No, my cable wasn't long enough that I could sit on the couch while doing so. Yes...that beats down with a stick the entire reason why I was excited about "Big Picture". Back off, it was still fun. I just need to figure out the right combination of peripherals.

First Up...Saints Row: The Third

The most recent game I've been obsessed with is "Saints Row: The Third". No one's more surprised than me at how much I am enjoying this game. I didn't even consider giving it a chance until I saw the "Hey Ash Whatcha Playin'" episode about the "Best Games of 2011". (If you've never watched HAWP, you should. Clicka da link. You'll thank me later.)

I think what I like most about this game is the absolute absurdity of it all. You're immediately in these ridiculous situations. like having a shootout whilst plummeting out of a plane, driving a pissed off tiger around town, and having your crib infiltrated by assassins, which involves the realization that "These hoes ain't hoes!"

I never played the first two Saints Row games, but I may give them a shot now. However, I hear that the third game in this series has gotten quite a bit more over the top than the previous two, which has been negatively viewed by many long-time fans. I seem to be one of the people these fans are pissed at since the ridiculousness of it all is what I enjoy most about this game.

Gameplay wise, it's inevitable that one make comparisons between Saints Row and the Grand Theft Auto series, but it's been a while since I've played a GTA game at length, so my information is likely outdated.

Right out of the gate, I approve of the fact that I can create my own character in Saints Row. Maybe I don't want to be Tommy Vercetti, or Carl Johnson, or Nikolai Bellic. I will always be more attached to a character that I have customized, and the fact that I can make a female character in Saints Row 3 is fantastic. I value the ability to make my character look like me. Deal with it.

The cellphone menu system is well integrated. It doesn't feel like a menu. You get missions by getting calls from people. The city map is available on your phone, and you can set waypoints to navigate to. Driving to the locations you set utilizes directional arrows that pop up where you're supposed to make your turns, which means you don't need to keep too close an eye on the mini-map. That makes the driving experience hassle-free and enjoyable.

The missions themselves are fun and often dive into the ludicrous. The dialogue frequently makes me laugh out loud. The only quibble I have with the game is that the story is at times difficult to follow. During the pre or post mission cut scenes, there were a couple of times where I was like, "Wait? What just happened?" or "Wait, who are we pissed at now?" Then I think...doesn't matter. I get to shoot a rocket launcher out of a helicopter while playing classical music. This is magical.

In general, I am a completist, a side quest junkie. However, I generally don't feel compelled to find all the collectibles found in games. For example, in Arkham City, I picked up any of the Riddler Trophies I happened upon, but didn't delay completing the game to search for them. This isn't the case for Saints Row, and I'm not completely sure why. Perhaps it's because everything in this game has a # of # count associated. I don't want to leave any Gang Operation left standing or Photo Op unfound.

I don't think I have that many main story missions left. I've been dicking around finding all the collectable items, doing assassination and vehicle theft missions, and getting 100% ownage in all parts of the city. I'll probably continue down that road and start the sprint toward the finish pretty soon.