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Fable 2 [3/5]

So i finished Fable. Initially I tried my usual approach of doing all the side quests and looking for all the hidden treasures. Eventually these activities became a bit repetitive and I decided to progress in the main quests and get the game over with.

The good:

The World design is good, the town and wilderness areas feel like they have been designed by a human rather than generated as procedural environments. Solid colorful graphics help seal the deal on style.

The dungeon design is interesting, it feels organic, the caves flow naturally and the dungeons are fairly large. This may not be the pinnacle of dungeon design but many games including Fallout 3 and Oblivion have introduced hideously shallow 3 room dungeons into their games that feel repeated over and over.. Fable stands out from the crowd.

Town interaction, you can buy almost any structure talk to any one, get in town jobs, a step in the right direction.

The moral choices in the game feel more significant than most games that offer a good and bad path. Your actions significant change the world around you and the town reactions to you.

The Bad and the Ugly:

Lack of motivation to interact with people. Most NPCs feel like carbon copies with different likes and dislikes. There is a lot of great systems for interacting with people, after a whille you will question why you should interact with them though.

Meele combat system. The fights look good and provide some satisfying moments. However they boild down to simple button mashing in most cases. You only have one button assigned to do all of your meele actions including swinging combos and blocking. It makes the fights a bit dull and repetitive.

Ranged combat system. It seems like the ranged fighting tries to be every thing at once, an isometric shooter and an over the shoulder sniping game with bonuses for charging your shots. The controls for shooting are mapped to the Y button again, a quick press fire your gun, holding the button jumps to aim mode that allows auto targeted shots, adding left trigger lets you aim at body parts. The shot is fired when the Y button is released. This adds up to a really awkward button combo.

Limited exploration. The game world at times appears to be open, but is actually mostly very linear offering a single path to get to most places. There is a few maps that are open but still provide defined entry and exit points.

Economy. It's very easy to get stinking rich in this game. Once you own property you will be making a constant stream of revenue, whether your Xbox is on or not. It's a novel idea, however it breaks the game economy and makes the game a bit too easy.

Weapons. First of all there are some positive points as there are many types of ranged and meele weapons, for the most part the only difference is swing speed vs damage. So you can pick your fighting style this way. However there are 4 tiers of weapons to be bought from shops with the final 5th tier reserved for rare magic weapons. As the game progresses rather quickly you will quickly exhaust any excitement from these shops since you will see everything they have to offer. There are no magical attributes to set the shop weapons apart. You simply get the weapon of choice between level 1 and 4 and you may have the option to pay extra to get a slot or two to add some magical attributes.

Characters and Story. Plain old boring stereotypes. There is very little to this story, simple revenge killing set in an interesting environment. The synopsis should fit on a lunch napkin.

Conclusion:

The first 2 hours of Fable appeared to be a dream, the new Zelda meets Oblivion for the current generation. In the end it failed to deliver everything it wanted but is still a solid game. There is a lot of potential, and I will certainly look at the sequel to the game.

First Impression: Fable 2

I just picked up Fable 2 used. I ignored it last fall due to an onslaught on my gaming time by multiple titles, led by fallout 3. I realize now that I committed a grave injustice as this thing seems pretty awesome right now. 

The game art made me think the story and subject matter would be a little more kid oriented. I was wrong, there is prostitution, alcohol, condoms and marriage (now that is mature) including the option to have multiple husbands/wifes. Also seems like a quarter population of the villagers in the world is gay so there is something for everyone which ever way you swing. Having experienced the first 6 hours of gameplay it seems like the visuals would be a bit darker in nature. Don't get me wrong the visuals and art direction is great. It just seems more Zelda than Fallout. 

By all appearances so far it seems like the player decisions affect the game-world more so than any other game I have played. Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls do it relatively well, but it carries more weight here. I fully intended to play this game as evil as I could considering I finished Fallout 3 and Mass effect as a paragon. I couldn't do it though, it felt wrong, this was well reflected by the slow visual transformation of my character into a prick. I started over playing a good guy. Maybe I can be evil second time around.

More when I finish this gem.

Mass Effect 4/5

With Mass Effect 2 around the corner I decided to finally pick up the first Mass Effect game to see what the deal was. I originally planned to get a 360 for this game, but life distracted me and I got the system much later. Bioware has made some of my favorite games, including what I consider to be the best PC RPG out there: Baldurs Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn. Another Bioware creation is the Star Wars licensed Knights of the old Republic (KOTR), probably the best take of this universe in video game form.

Mass Effect seems like a spiritual sequel to KOTR. Bioware created it's own universe with unique races and history. The future is not so distant, but humanity has progressed at a great pace, especially after finding the Mass Relays that allow fast interstellar travel. The plot and setting are easily the best part of the game; the world is fleshed out, giving the player tons of optional background information on all the known alien races, space battles and space politics. The characters are splendidly voiced, my favourite being the villian Sauren, as performed by the great Fred Tatasciore. There is plenty to love in this game and it's a nice world to lose yourself in. Rather than gush over it, I'll focus on some of the design weaknesses that I hope will be absent in the sequel.

First problem from the beginning is the action. The game functions as a real time third person shooter pretty poorly. The enemy AI is uninspiring, and the combat tends to come down to run and gun, despite lots of character abilities that made me expect the combat to be more tactical. I would rather see a well implemented turn based strategic system like the one used in KOTR. The sequel will focus on the action aspect more, and from the looks of it the team is working hard to make it better, much better.

Second issues is the uninspired side quests and locations. I love the idea of exploring the universe and taking on space pirates or rescuing far of research installations. However the planets for all their difference in descriptions and topolgy are far too repetitive and barren. There are about 3 standard preset type of installations on every planet that consist of 4 or 5 rooms. That combined with the weak action left me wanting more. The main story and quests however do not suffer from this.

Last issue and one that actively drove me nuts was the vehicle control of the game. The Mako APC is your primary (and only) method of transportation when you drop on alien planets. The vehicle it self is a mean looking 6 wheeled off-road monster with guns. The vehicle's turret implies that it has good maneuverability and strafe runs will be possible. Sadly this is not the case. The left control stick is mapped to the vehicle control and the right stick turns the camera and turret direction. You can steer the vehicle towards left and right. However if you turn the turret the vehicle will start righting itself so forward goes towards the turret facing. This creates two control schemes that try to steer your vehicle. Pressing up on the stick acts as the accelerator and turning at the same time if you turned your turret. This makes strafing runs while driving in a straight line nearly impossible. When you turn the turret 90 right you essentially have to steer left on the vehicle to keep it going straight. This gets in the way of regular driving and really kills tense situations where you need to control your movement. I hope this gets fixed in the next game.

Despite my focus on things that bothered me, this is an amazing game from a company that I trust to deliver amazing rpg/adventure games. Now is a good time to pick this up in the bargain bin if you haven't tried it yet. It surely left me excited for the sequel.

Dead Space 4/5

Released in late 2008, Dead Space brings the horror genre to space. I approached the game with some reservation as I am slightly burned out from 1st and 3rd person shooters. What I didn't experience was one of the best and most immersive games in recent history. (It surpassed the Gears of War campaign in my eyes).

The game places you in the role of Isaak the engineer. You arrive with a small team on a repair ship after receiving a distress call from the large mining ship the Ishimura. Your role is to figure what happened on board the ship and to repair the various systems that are vital to your survival, while surviving the new residents that have infected it. The setting and atmosphere are reminiscent of the 1997 movie Event Horizon.

Technically the game looks great; crisp textures, detailed models. This would mean little without great design, and that's something the game is certainly not lacking. The Ishimura's interior is not limited to dark tight corridors (not that it lacks those), the ship is huge and houses over one thousand crew, it's essentially a small town complete with a tram system. You'll see working engine rooms, communication chambers, loading bays, a huge command deck and even a hydroponics facility. Many of the environments are used as game play elements. For example you'll have to make your way past the engine room while the engines are firing in succession. Another important detail is the lighting, it flickers and dances as the light sources move, making your flinch as you sometimes see your own shadow moving in your peripherals. At times you'll be making your away in zero gravity chambers or on the outside hull of the ship.

Sound is as good as i ever heard. Every part of the ship has great ambient sound of far of machinery and computer systems. I played this with a 5.1 surround sound system and constantly had to turn my on screen character as I heard noises all around me. Sometimes it's far of echoes of pipes falling in hangar bays, heavy footsteps in walkways above you, or minimal whispers you hear as Isaak begins to loose his sanity. The doesn't just elevate the creepy atmosphere, it serves a function as important as the visuals. This is the type of game that surround sound systems were made for.

The story is interesting and has some interesting nuances and twists. The experience can be greatly enhanced by watching the animated movie Dead Space: Downfall. It tells the story of the Ishimura before the events in the game. It's a very well executed tie in that stands strong on it's own.

Available on Xbox360 and PS3.

Ivana Santilli in Concert @ The Revival 3/5

I've been following Ivana Santilli since her Bass is Base days, and have been a great fan for more than 10 years (eeek, its already been that long?) As she ventured into solo territory (her first album Brown is still on my playlist), I made the treks to cozy bars and clubs to support her, along with a legion of friends who share the same passion for her music. With Canadian Music Week graced upon Toronto in early March, Ivana was a headliner for a showcase at The Revival. Of course, I jumped at the chance to see her, so off I went to Little Italy to party it up last Friday, March 13th.

She was scheduled to hit the stage at midnight, but as per the time continuum for concerts, they never happen on time. Around 12:30am Ivana and her band hit the stage, and the crowd started to come alive, as did I. My fellow group of Ivana fans and I bounced along to the music, with some of us excited enough to sing along with her. As we were in the front row, I'm sure she heard our squawking. It was mix of songs from the past albums Brown and Cordoroy Boogie, but with the most part focusing on her latest offering, Tony, release in 2008. She debuted her new song, "Your Girl Tonight" - it was a bit too breathy voiced and dance music-like for my usual liking, but hopefully with a few more spins, it will catch on.

Alas, this concert did not have the same magic which I am used to with her previous ones. Perhaps it can be attributed to my tiredness (staying up late and me don't mix too well anymore) and Ivana and her band's lack of rehearsals (she did admit to only rehearsing twice during the week). It was not her best performance, but still an enjoyable night. I will still look forward to catching her play live, as she does have charisma to charm the crowd and bring energy into a room.

Harvey’s Angus Mushroom Melt 3/5

Harvey’s are currently pushing their Angus Mushroom Melt, and as I’m often up for one of their regular Angus burgers this was a product I just had to try. But first, to build anticipation, just check it out on their website. The picture of the burger is animated, the damn thing is *steaming* or at least wafting waves of beefy, mushroomy deliciousness out of the monitor at you.

The good news is Harvey’s pretty much deliver on the flavour and texture. But then it is based on their Angus burger, so they weren’t going to screw that up. It’s juicy, roasted and meaty. The bad news? The burger can’t possibly live up to the advertising image. Maybe the slice of cheese I got in mine was Swiss like in the picture, maybe not, it was too melted to tell based on the appearance, and in my experience Swiss doesn’t melt quite like this had…it looked like a melted slice of processed cheese, unappetizing. Furthermore, from the ground up the burger should be: bun, meat, cheese, ‘shrooms and bun on top. When I got mine I had to take it apart to find the mushrooms as I thought they’d left them off. Turns out they were there, on the bottom bun, hidden under the ‘cheese’ and not piled high and spilling out like I’d been promised. Perhaps I have too high an expectation, but if you’re going to show me a picture of something like this, it better look somewhat like the product you’re going to serve me. I know they wanted to make it look good, but if you underdeliver on appearance quite so comprehensively folks are going to be so underwhelmed they may never come back for a second try, and it’s all about repeat business in the fast food game, isn’t it?

In spite of my reservations, I have to admit, it’s a nice burger, representing good (but not great) value for money, and I might even buy another next time I’m at Harvey’s. After all, if I do buy it again it might just be put together right, with more mushrooms, and a little more care, and that would make all the difference.