A look at the original Deus Ex Part 2

Though this was dead, huh? Nope, this is part 2 on my reasoning on why Deus Ex is the game designer’s bible. Now, last time I talked about the setting of the game and how it played an overall part of the plot. Now, I’m going to talk about the plot itself and how it’s paced so well.

The game starts off with the player, JC Denton, who is a nano-aug agent for the UNATCO. After your usual tutorial level you get to play a few missions that tie around the Gray Death virus. This is a good start for the game as we get to know what the character’s role is in society and we learn the starting parts of the main plot. We also get to meet JC’s bother Paul who is working with NSF, a group who want to secede from the US and are stealing the vaccine for the Grey Death Virus. It’s here we get our first twist, Grey Death is a man-made virus and JC’s superiors are using it so that only the elite receive the vaccine, leaving the poor to suffer.

This moment shows just how much power corporations and the rich have in society while the poor are forced to suffer as I mentioned in my first part. To make things worse for JC, he learns that both he and Paul were outfitted with a kill switch that will kill them in a day. JC rushes to save his brother as well as get rid of the kill switch. From here JC is then labeled as a traitor and his own kill switch is activated.

Here the lines between friend and foe start to blur as the organizations have people that want to help or kill JC. After being captured, JC is contacted by something named Daedalus who is part of the organization Majestic 12, leaving another organization that plays a role in the growing conspiracy of the Grey Death.

Eventually, JC finds out that the Grey Death was made by the Illuminati, but after meeting their leader, Morgan, it turns out that the Grey Death was only to be used by augmented people and not everyone. Majestic 12, the organization that saved you, use to be part of the Illuminati until it’s leader, Bob Page, used it to make it for all people. After stopping Majestic 12 from getting alternate means of repurposing the virus, you learn that Daedalus is an AI born from ECHELON.  Just as Daedalus is about to gain control over Majestic 12’s communications, Page unleashes his own AI, Icarus. The two AI’s merge and create Helios who controls all global communications.

This is when things get climatic. Page plans to use Helios to merge with it and become a god of machines to control all network communications of all levels. JC must defeat Page and then choose what to do with Helios with each organization demanding their result. JC can either:

1.       Destroy Global Communications, which puts the world in a Dark Age, but nobody controls the world

2.       Bring the Illuminati into power and control the world

3.       Denton can merge with Helios and rule the world alone as a benevolent dictator as an all knowing god.

The story is full of conspiracy and thrives on the themes of technology and morality. Trust and a desire of finding the truth, throw the player into an ongoing struggle to complete the game and find the ending of the story. And the pacing is great. The way that you start off just dealing with terrorist to ending with you possibly becoming a technological god.

The story is long, but not rushed. Every moment of every scene is played out perfectly and when you get to the end, all the connections come into place and you see how what happened before has affected you now. This is perfect storytelling with each choice and decision affecting this story so much that you’ll see the responses of your actions. It’s better than even Mass Effect or any other game. You have to play it to really experience it.

I’ll touch more on Deux Ex later, if I haven’t convinced you to get the game now, you’ll be getting on the next part.

We are Gamers and We are Legion.

Top 10 games of 2011

Disclaimer: None of the pictures are mine

Happy new year! Yes, I’m back this time I promise to be more attentive to this blog as I was before. Well I’ve got a lot to do, still need to continue that Deus ex thing, I need to do that comparison between Battlefield and Modern Warfare, and there are lots of other things to talk about too.

But for now, I’m going to do another countdown. I’ve played a lot of games last year and while some of them I didn’t review, I did play a lot. So this time I’m going to give you all what I feel were the best games of 2011.

10. Portal 2: While not as good as Portal 1, the game was definitely a much anticipated sequel that was worth the wait. The portal gun and its puzzles were still awesome and the G.L.A.D.O.S. storyline was okay, even if it had a few weak spots. But by far the best was the multiplayer. I think everyone can agree that that alone was worth buying this game. Amazing graphics, fantastic gameplay, and a funny psychopathic AI made this game worth its money.

9. Mortal Kombat: This game really saved me this year. Despite my intense dislike for Marvel vs Capcom 3, this game made the year in fighting genre’s work out for me. What I love about this game is that it mixes both new and old styles that make everyone enjoy this game regardless of what era you started playing it. It’s a really great remake of the series and I can’t wait to see more blood and fatalities to come out in the next MK tournament.

8. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood: The reason I don’t have Revelations on this chart is because I have yet to play it. I’ll get around to it eventually, but I think it might be too late for a review. Still, Brotherhood was something that I underestimated. I thought it was just an expansion pack or something short, but I got Assassin’s Creed 2.5. Ezio is now one of my favorite characters of all gaming history. His story as an assassin and the details that effect history are just brilliant. Add in some great gameplay elements and you got a golden one.

7. Total War: Shogun 2: This game I played really late. I never was a fan of RTS (except ones like Starcraft and Dawn of War), but when I heard so much hype about this I decided to give it a try. I never wished to be Japanese more than when I played this. Most war games in Japan are centralized around the Sengoku Era so seeing a game in the Onin War was nice. I had fun playing it (even if I sucked at it) and I’m sure many people who bought this game did as well.

6. Cod: MW3/Battlefield 3: Now I’m a big Modern Warfare fan and the third game did a perfect 5/5 in my book. However, I’ve never played a Battlefield game before so I was interested in comparing these two. I’m not done with Battlefield yet, but I can see why so many gamers love this game. Both are so similar and yet so different. Nevertheless, both of these FPS’s have achieved much with their games and have had much impact on the gaming community.

5. Catherine: Holy crap did this game freak me out. It’s creepy art and story, the simple yet challenging puzzle mechancis, and the awesome music. My God this game was so awesome. I still play it every chance I get and I really think people need to play this game because you will have tons of time to play it. Hell, I haven’t even finished Rapunzel yet! Plus, it was nice to see something different from Atlus that wasn’t from the Shin Megami Tensei series.

4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution: This game was so much fun. Despite its ending flaws, this game made me feel like I was playing the original again. It’s such a good game and I still play it (Despite beating it multiple times) while challenging myself to make things harder and harder. Meeting the studio behind this game has also made me realize just how much effort went into something this big and awesome. This game deserves respect and I hope to see more from Edios sometime soon.

3. Mass Effect 2: Come on, you know me right? You really didn’t think I would put this up here? I bet you’re surprised it’s not number one. Despite my undying loyalty to Bioware and the Mass Effect series, I still can’t say it’s better than the next two games. Still, this is a game everyone needs to play. Designers, writers, programmers, artists, level designers and more. This is one of those games that come one in a lifetime that you love and treasure so much. I’m already pre-ordering ME3 when it comes out and when it does I’ll have a lot to say about it.

2. Batman Arkham City: As a Batman fan, I marked out when I played Arkham Asylum. This game, I just lost it. This game is just amazing. I couldn’t really find any flaws in this game at all and the way the characters just play themselves is enough to make any Batman freak just go nuts. Plus, this is the last time you’ll ever hear Mark Hamill play as the Joker so this is even a collector’s item for many. If you don’t have this game, get it now.

1. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: There is no contest. There is no way in hell this game can be ignored. This is just godlike. It’s like if The Beatles went on a world tour with Chuck Norris as a bodyguard. IT’S THAT AWESOME! I can’t even review it, because all you hear on how awesome this game is is all true. The story, the gameplay, the art, the level design, the backstory, everything is just good. Next to Mass Effect 2, this is a game you must study if you want to be in the gaming industry. This is a game everyone can learn from especially if you want to make RPG’s like me.

Those are my top 10. Hope you enjoyed.

We are gamers and we are legion.

later

My Game's Alpha

Hey guys. If some of you don't know, I'm a brony. I'm a fan that likes My Little Pony Friendship is magic. I'm a fan of this series so much that I write fanfiction and talk about the show a lot. For the past few months I've been working with other bronies to create a visual novel or dating sim to the brony community. Don't worry, it's clean and you play as a pony.

I happen to be the lead writer and lead designer in this group and so far we've made a lot of progress. I'm going to show you our alpha so please tell us what you think.

The video uses annotations so I can't post it here, but here it is on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NdJG5XDCUA&feature=related

You can also visit our main site at: http://www.gentlecolts.org/index.html

Thanks and merry christmas

PLAY SKYRIM NOW!!

JUST PLAY THIS GAME NOW! Like right now! I can't even give a review for this because it's perfect! Best RPG ever! Forget Final Fantasy, forget Crono Trigger, forget Mass....okay maybe not Mass Effect, but close!

This is one of those games that is just... indescribably, but in a good way. Great story, great controls, great character, great gameplay, great work, great artwork, great everything.

Just buy this game, you don't even need to play the other Elder Scrolls games to play it. Chances are you've heard of this game and you hear how awesome it is. There is no need to review it, trust me with your life when I say this game is just perfect.

God this is awesome.

This is why we are gamers and this is why we are legion.

Review: Batman Arkham City

(The author doesn't own any pictures and beware of spoilers)

THIS IS THE BEST GODDAMN LICENSED GAME EVER!

If you thought Batman Arkham Asylum was beyond amazing then you’re going to have your jaw drop because this is like the The Dark Knight movie equivalent of awesomeness! This game was one of the most highly anticipated games this year and it didn’t even let anybody down when this game came out. Amazing visuals, amazing gameplay, amazing characters, amazing everything!  As a gamer and a Batman fanatic, this was one of the funniest games to play. I couldn’t stop playing until I made a 100 percent competition, something I normally don’t do!

Now I’m not going to go over what the Batman Universe is all about, because everyone knows who Batman is and what he stands for. What some people might get confused by are some of the comic references that are used everywhere in this game. Now personally, I’ve been interested in everything Batman since I was old enough to read comics, (He’s my second favorite comic super hero of all time, Spidey’s first) so all of this stuff isn’t’ a surprise to me. You don’t have to be a Batman fanatic to play this game, but it will help if you look up information about Batman and the amazing villains he faces such as Joker, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, and more.

Just how awesome is this game? Let’s find out.

            1. Graphics

My god is Gotham beautiful. It’s just the perfect representation of gothic looking crime ridding, hell hole that it is. Granted you don’t play in all of Gotham, instead you play in this area called Arkham City which is an experimental asylum that is city wide instead of just one big building like the first one. Now you have to go through various city districts such as an industrial zone, a still mill, an underground railroad, and more. Each area is well mapped and well detailed in its artwork giving in that perfect dark Batman style were all use to loving so much. 

The shadows and lighting, like the last game, play a key role in your gameplay because what’s a “Dark Knight” without being in the dark while you pick off the criminals one by one? The character art is gorgeous.  Everyone from the main characters to the mooks you’ll be fling batarangs at are drawn down to the last detail perfectly. I especially like how they made the villains such as Riddler, Hugo Strange, Ra's Al Ghul, and Mr. Freeze. Each one is unique and drawn to fit the exact image they characterized.

And the weather, my god the weather is awesome.

Graphics are just A class perfect.

2. Controls 

If you’ve played Arkham Asylum chances are you going to get these controls down on the dot. A lot of the controls play just like the ones back in the first game such as the batclaw, the gadget use, combat, gliding and such.

If you haven’t played the previous game or are a bit rusty, don’t worry. Arkham City is an open world game with plenty of areas to practice on. Want to test your gliding while testing the new dive feature? Zipline to a tower and practice it. Want to practice your combat skills as well as test your gadgets in battle? There are hundreds of gangs all over the streets so all you got to do if find one and kick ass. 

But here is the really cool thing; Batman isn’t the only character you can play in this game. There are three other characters: Catwoman, Robin, and Nightwing. Now Catwoman is the only one who can be played, out of the three, in the story mode and her style is a lot faster with her own gadgets. Catwoman also has the ability to climb and hang over ceilings or scale walls just like a real cat. As for Robin and Nightwing, they kind of are similar yet also different.  Robin fights with a bow staff and can do pretty well in crowds while Nightwing using Eskirma sticks that can create lightning and is the second fastest character in the game (First being Catwoman). The styles are both similar and different to both Batman and Catwoman so you can get use to them pretty quickly.

 3. Gameplay

Oh, where do I begin? First off, the game is more an open world experience with tons of things to do. Everywhere something is happening, criminals are talking to each other that you can listen in, prisoners are being beaten up, helicopters re always on the move looking for you and the tons of side-missions you can partake in.The side-missions are the best part of this game and there is a lot to do. You can help Bane find the remaining TITAN barrels from the first game, rescue innocents from getting beaten up, have a sick and twisted game with Zsasz, do VR training, and more.

But the best side mission is the Riddler one. Like in the last game, the Riddler has his trophies, riddles, and challenges all over Arkham City meaning you’re going to have to explore every part of Arkham to achieve them all, because there are 400 of them! Some can’t be reached until a certain part of the main story is complete as well as the need for certain gadgets that are not accessible until you get them in the main story. But this time there is a story to this side quest. Riddler has managed to capture a group of hostages that he places in various puzzle rooms that you have to solve in order to rescue them. He’ll only give you the locations when you get enough Riddler challenges and solve the riddle he gives you. Genius work by the team and this is, in my opinion, the best part of the game.

Speaking of Riddler, the other part of the game that you can do is the Riddler Revenge missions. Their missions that take place in various locations that test your stealth, gadget use, or your combat skills. Things like taking out all the guards in a certain time period or fighting endless enemies till you fall. This is where you can play both as Batman and Catwoman as well as Nightwing and Robin. They’re fun to play, but I kind of wish they had some sort of multiplayer with it. Maybe they will next game.

   4.  Story

This is one of those stories I’m not going to spoil much because it’s not only a good Batman story; it’s just too fun of a game to spoil much. The game takes place 6 months after the events of Arkham Asylum. The former warden, Quincy Sharp, became mayor and, along with Hugo Strange, created Arkham City which was supposed to be a prison camp designed to hold the worst of the criminals. Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, does like the idea and starts a political campaign against it. During one of his sessions, he’s captured by the TYGER forces, Strange’s private army, and they take him into Arkham City where it’s revealed that Strange knows Batman’s identity.

Bruce manages to escape and suit up thanks to a drop in from Alfred. Batman not only has to figure out what’s going on in Arkham City, but also figure out what Protocol Ten, an operation Strange has planned, is and how to stop it.  What follows is a thrilling storyline that leads Batman all over the city as well as conflict with his old enemies. The story is well written, well-paced, and well thought out.

  5. Characters

This game’s characters are enough to make a geek cry. Every, EVERY, major Batman character in the universe is in this game. Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Oracle (Former Batgirl), Alfred, Jim Gordon, Vicki Vale, even Jack Ryder! And those are just the good guys.

The real show is the bad guys. You got your guys that everybody knows like The Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Poison Ivy(Catwoman only), Clayface, Penguin, Zsasz, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Ra's Al Ghul, Mad Hatter, and Hugo Strange.

And we even got guys who that aren’t well known to some people such as Deadshot, Solomon Grundy, and even Black Mask makes an appearance.

Each villain is perfectly written and voiced. I especially liked how they did The Riddler. I think this was one of the best versions of him of all time…not like that lame Jim Carry version. 

  6.  Sound

The sound quality in this game is epic. The music is dark and thrilling, the sound effects are perfect, but the best part is the voice acting. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill re-voice their respective positions as in the last game. Who are these guys? Kevin is the original voice of Batman and Mark Hamill was the voice of the Joker from Batman the Animated Series, one of the greatest cartoons ever. This game also is a must buy for Batman collectors everywhere as this is the last time Mark Hamill will ever voice the Joker. Mark you’ve been a great voice actor to us all and we wish you the best! 

OVERALL: 5.5/5

This game deserve to be a possible GAME OF THE YEAR! It's Batman to the core and it's done right! This is how licened game should be! This is what we as fans want to see! This is just awesome and you should be playing it right now.

We are Gamers and we are Legion

EA vs Zynga

EA vs Zynga

It looks things are finally heating up between EA, one of the most powerful console gaming companies, and Zygna one of the most powerful Facebook game companies. EA’s The Sim’s Social is a growing game that is becoming more and more popular as there are reports of people breaking away from Mafia Wars and Farmville just to play this game.

It’s no surprise that EA has decdied to take an approach into casual gaming as Zygna was reported to even have made more than EA at one time (Mentioned in an earlier blog entry) and so it looks like EA sees Zygna as competition. What does this all mean? A lot of things. It shows how casual games you find on places like Newsgrounds, Faceboook, and Bored.com have more weight in their gold. As I predicted, casual games are going to be a huge boost in popularity over time and now that companies who once focused only on AAA titles are suddenly developing teams for casual gaming, it shows just how far the casual gaming industry is going.

Personally, I think EA's decision to make The Sims of all games their first major Facebook game to be genius. Everybody knows The Sims and The Sims is perfect for social gaming. Why settle for making new crops and farming stuff when you can create your own home and live your own virtual life. It's a brilliant move and with a game series already popular, it's no surprise how so many are flocking to it right now. 

Now some of you might have recalled I wasn’t too big of a fan in casual gaming, granted I’m still not a big fan, but I do acknowledge the amazing success of the industry and I’m not ashamed to admit I play a few of those games myself. Am I still a much bigger AAA fan? Hell yeah.

So what does this sudden change in the wind mean for casual gaming? Will EA, the huge company that it is, take out its rival by luring more of its players with games like The Sims? Or will Zynga do it’s best to fight back against this wave and continue its dominance as the main company of social gaming. Either way, it’s going to be one hell of a fight. 

Learn more from this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204528204577012273802347922.html

Update on me

Hey guys! Okay, it’s time for some good news and some bad news time. The good news is that I have a lot more time now to be work on this blog. The bad news is that my Xbox live at the moment is going through some problems. This sucks because I was going to do a comparison between Call of Duty and Battlefield. So were going to have to wait on that until I get this issue fixed. But there are some things I can still do. After this weekend is over, I’m going to be working on the following:

-Batman Arkham City Review

-X-Men Destiny Review

-My next Deus Ex is great thing

-An article about EA vs. Zynga

Right now though, I’m just getting some last details on some homework assgiments. After that I’ll be back in action.