Aquaria

I am in the process of downloading the full game of Aquaria, and independent game from Bit Blot. I played the demo a while back and decided that I had to play the full game sometime. That time is now.

Well, when the download finishes. It is not a large one, by any means.

Indie gaming is something that I would really like to get more in to. It seems like the place to go for the real innovation in the field. The only problem that I have is that most people who talk about indie games use a sort of jargon that keeps new people like me from being able to figure out what is going on. Penny-Arcade's Greenhouse was my first good experience with Indie games. Otherwise I only hear about them when the gaming news sites mention one that is particularly notable.

I shall have to work on this.. When I finish Aquaria that is.

More about RE:5

Sunday afternoon was spent playing online co-op in the mercenaries mode on Resident Evil 5. I had played around with this mode before by myself, and thought "I hope that it is easier on co-op." Turns out, it is, I think.

Mercenaries is a difficult mode. I had a ton of fun with it while playing cooperatively. For me, that experience really makes it. I am an extremely vocal player when I have a headset on. I pay for the bandwidth, and darn it, I'm going to use it. Mercenaries is intense. There was some teeth grinding for me in the main game, but when I'm playing Mercenaries, I'm constantly on the edge of my seat. It is really well designed. The maps are very well done. The constant barrage of relatively easy to dispatch enemies hounding you keeps you on your toes. Adding in the one large enemy really ups the ante. Once the big bad is one the map, you and your partner have to step it up.

My brain is still tired from everything that happened last week, so perhaps I am not expressing myself well. The gist is: play Mercenaries mode with a friend.

Lack of entries.

Sorry about the lack of entries. My wife's grandfather passed away this last week so things have been busy.

An interesting article

This article by Leigh Alexander is a great piece on the growing pains of video games as the medium tries to mature.

Fitness and Gaming

I try to maintain a certain level of physical fitness. I am not “buff” or ready to compete in a triathlon, but I am no slouch at distance running and I lift a few weights as well. There have been some, interesting innovations in gaming and exercising at the same time, but none of them really get me excited. For a time, I would jog in place while playing Mass Effect. I did work up a sweat and get my pulse going, but trying to play a 3D game while bobbing in place is terribly difficult. I have an exercise bike, but since I am cheap it is a garage sale find and not terribly comfortable. A new seat might be all I need to fix this problem.

I guess I can't talk about gaming and fitness without mentioning the Wii Fit. Yes, I own one. No, I do not use it. I think it is a well designed product, but that the software that came with it has some major flaws. The exercises are good choices, not too high impact, but still effective if done regularly. My main problem with the software is that a half hour workout becomes at least an hour with Wii fit. Having to return to the menu every time you want to move on to the next step of your workout is cumbersome. I am fairly certain that Nintendo will make a Wii Fit “sequel” which will hopefully take care of this issue. What is really needed is the ability to queue up a certain amount of time in exercises and go through them, one at a time, without having to return to any menus. Short breaks can be added in as needed, but they should not be forced on more experienced exercisers.

I suppose for now my gaming and my fitness will have to remain separate. This does make me kind of sad. I can get more bang for my exercise buck on my eclectic collection of second-hand fitness machines than anything thus far enabled by the video game markets.

Wii-fatigue?

I was a Wii early adopter. I waited in line, twice to get ahold of Nintendo's little white box (I did not get it the first time). I had a load of fun with Twilight Princess and Trauma Center. For all the problems with getting third parties to really embrace the system, I can still say that I enjoy it. I have my PC and Xbox 360 to balance out my need for "hardcore" games, but I am glad to have the Wii as well.

The system's aesthetic has been acclaimed since launch, it was designed to be an attractive item on your entertainment center, and it achieves that. The Wii-remotes and other accessories are also stylish in their minimalist ways as well, easy to stack and store for the most part. I think that part of that aesthetic is where my problem lies.

Altogether, I find the use of the Wii-remote to be fatiguing. No, not in the sense that swinging the remote around makes me tired. I have been playing Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (well, until RE: 5 was released..), and I have noticed something that has bothered me since the first time I started playing games on Wii. My hand gets sore.

Something seems to be wrong with the ergonomics of the wii-remote. Almost as if there was no ergonomic planning. Even the addition of the Wii-remote sleeve does not help me in this regard. I almost find myself missing the "why don't you take a break" messages that Wii Sports used to give me, because now, I do need to take a break every fifteen minutes or so and let my hand relax.

It seems to me that this was a major oversight by Nintendo. I think that aesthetics have taken precedent over practicality.

Resident Evil 5

Well, Resident Evil 5 has been out for almost a week now. How much do I love it?

Quite a bit. The game feels like a very good step after playing Resident Evil 4. I had my brother-in-law over for some system-link Co-op, and it was a blast. I used the two day Xbox Live Gold trial subscription to play online with my friend Sam, and it was pretty cool as well. I am still on the fence about paying for online gaming.

I have read the tag-lines in some of the reviews, and I will probably get them backwards, but I saw “The mutation of fun,” and “The evolution of horror.” As I posted previously, I have played and enjoyed the first Resident Evil (in remake form on the Gamecube) and Resident Evil Zero. Resident Evil 4 and 5 are drastically different games. The story progression seems to make sense, I have read up on it using the Resident Evil Wiki and similar sources. I have to say this. I absolutely love the new games, I think that they are great action games and a ton of fun. But I do miss the play-style of the “originals.” I think perhaps there might be a market for the first Resident Evil style of game still, perhaps on mobile platforms. I know that Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is a DS remake of the first Resident Evil, but I haven't tried it because I have a sort of aversion to paying more than once for the same game. If they released RE: 2 or any of the others that I missed in DS format (or perish forbid a new experience), I would probably be on board in a heartbeat.

Anyway, I have not yet beat Resident Evil 5, but I do not mind. I feel I can speak on its merits without completing the main quest. The feature that has really grabbed my attention is the persistence of your item pool, including money and weapon upgrades that you have acquired throughout the game. I feel that this is incredible. I know this has been done in many other games before, but to have it in a story-based game like Resident Evil 5 is fabulous. I also like that I can go back and replay levels to earn more money and find things that I've missed without having to replay the entire game. This is why I have not beat the main story yet. Through Resident Evil 4, I learned how important it is to upgrade your weapons. I remember how hard the first stage is, when you fight the ganados in their village when all you have is your 9mm, and the shotgun you can find. It was extremely difficult. However, if you go back and replay with your endgame artillery, it is much easier. To me, this is very rewarding. Being able to do it without beating the main game is great.

Discussions with my friends have been on how best to utilize your NPC companion, if you are playing alone. For my play style, I like to have Sheva equipped with an upgraded 9mm pistol, while I carry heavy weapons and try to score melee attacks on our foes. Having a real person as your companion changes this substantially. Understandably, not everyone is comfortable carrying the basic pistol when the enemies start getting bigger and meaner.

As for multiplayer thus far, I think it has been well implemented. Whenever a treasure item is found, both players get a duplicate that they can use to sell for the money they need to upgrade their armaments. Healing items, weapons and ammunition are limited to the player that picked them up. The weapons part sort of irks me. From a gameplay standpoint, it makes great sense. However, it seems a little unfair. It is a whiny problem, I know, but I want the new weapon too. Perhaps not in the mission at that time, but I should be able to acquire it after the mission for free, in my opinion. I understand it from a design standpoint, it is a good reason for me to replay that mission on my own time and get that new weapon myself. Like I said, a nagging little issue that I am probably the only one to worry about.

So far, I have had a blast with this game. The enemies started out as essentially re-skins of Resident Evil 4's foes. Now that I am moving along in the story, I am meeting new fiends and challenges that add a lot more depth and strategy to the game. I definitely recommend that action game and horror fans pick this up. I need about two other things that this game brings to mind. One is “The evolution of horror” and my thoughts on this idea. The other is paying Microsoft for online gaming. Another issue that I have skirted is the upcoming multiplayer add-on for RE: 5 that may not affect me at all, as a non-Gold member.

Zombies and Capcom

I realize that my last post was about Left 4 Dead, a zombie game. If you are not a fan of zombies, this post is not for you. Ever since I started Left 4 Dead, I've been on a huge zombie kick. I picked up Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition again and finally finished it. I know that the enemies in RE 4 are "not zombies," but close enough. I am getting extremely pumped up about Resident Evil 5, due out next week. Hopefully I will be able to get my wife to join me in co-op.

Capcom really seems to have a corner on the zombie gaming market. Between Resident Evil and Dead Rising, they have put out some of the best zombie games that I have ever played. I can not claim to be a die-hard Resident Evil fan. I got on board when they remade the first game for the Gamecube. I played Zero as well. I have not played 2, 3, or Code Veronica, so I have missed out on quite a bit of the series, but what can you do? Gametrailers.com has a five part Resident Evil retrospective, which was a good viewing.

Talking about Resident Evil always seems to lead to the controls. I had always thought that the controls were exactly what they needed to be. The directional buttons are mapped relative to the character, not relative to the screen. Up is always forward, or the direction the character is facing. The series had to evolve when it moved into true 3D, but I think it managed to maintain the right feel with its control scheme. I definitely loved playing Resident Evil 4 on the Wii. I think that the Wii-remote might even trump the mouse for aiming ballistic weapons in games.

I was able to find Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles for a really good price, and I eagerly await its delivery. I watched the gametrailers review, and they said that it definitely feels like "resident evil, the ride." Sign me up. Sounds like a blast. I am certain that it will merit a post on here.

Another thing I enjoy about games from Capcom is their supernatural aspects. Resident Evil is more of a sci-fi/horror series, but its.. cousin/spinoff series Devil May Cry is definitely heavier on supernatural. I enjoy these games a lot as well. Lately, if I get frustrated playing Resident Evil, I will start up Devil May Cry 4 and go to town on some baddies. Playing as Nero or Dante and just tearing through crowds of demons really helps to relieve any tension brought on by Survival Horror games.

Maybe writing this will help to get me off of my zombie kick, but with Resident Evil 4 and Left 4 Dead's free DLC just around the corner.. I doubt it.

Left 4 Dead

Ah, Left 4 Dead. I had wanted to play this game for quite a
while, and as it happened I stumbled across an article on Kotaku
telling me that Valve was selling the game for $25 on Steam. As a
budget gamer, I am definitely looking for cheaper games, so I decided
to go for it. The download process was easy after I set up a
steam account. I mentioned the game to a friend, and he also decided
to pick it up. We tried to get a few others, but the PC platform is
not a viable option for some these days.. So we got it set up and got
started.

Wow. I love zombies. I love zombie movies. I love this game. I understand
what everyone has said about it having a pretty short life due to
only having 4 scenarios that you can play through pretty quickly.
But man, it is fun. Over the course of this week I've been able to
play the game with my buddy Sam for thirty minutes to an hour
nightly. The game is very intense, as one might expect. It has sold
me on fast zombies as well. I told my wife that I am going to lose
some zombie purist street cred as I am growing to like fast zombies.

I think that the idea of the director is pretty great. As you play the game
this AI evaluates how well you are doing and how much you have been
challenged and adjusts the encounters or puts in stashes of
health or weapons. It sounds pretty amazing, and it actually works.
Mix this with great sounds that let you know what you are facing in
the next few seconds, and you have a great suspense-filled, action
packed game. The witch is probably one of the best ideas for an
enemy that I've seen. She is completely passive, lying in one
location, sobbing. You begin hearing the sobbing from a good
distance away, and you know you are in trouble. It brings your advance to
a crawl. You have to shut off your flashlight, for fear of spooking
her. This makes the darker areas hard to navigate and more
frightening. There are clues with the music and lighting that let
you know she is close. Sometimes the computer sends a horde of
normal infected after you, or one of the other special infected.
They might distract you enough to make you spook the witch. No
matter what, it is tense as long as you can hear her sobs. It is possible
to sneak by her, and sometimes you never even see her. It is just frightening knowing she is around.

The game is great as a shared experience as well. There is nothing like a
good thrill with a friend. Once we got our sound working properly,
we were able to play as we talked to each other. Profanity spills
from our lips like flames from a thrown Molotov cocktail as we play
this game. Once you get a feel for the game, I definitely recommend
ramping up the difficulty. It really increases the intensity without
making the game unplayable. There is even an option to vote on a new
difficulty if you happen to get stuck.

If you like horror movies, and zombie films in particular, this is your
game. Each scenario plays out like a movie. The four survivors
start off somewhere semi-safe, and have to move through infested
areas to get to a point of rescue. We had a very movie like
experience in our first finale of the game. Sam and I had made it to
a rooftop and were awaiting a helicopter rescue. Suddenly, the tank
(a huge, hulking infected beast-man) come rampaging through our midst.
With a massive punch, it knocked Sam from the roof, where he could
not be saved by the rest of us. The remaining survivors and I
managed to fight the behemoth off and get to the 'chopper. As the
credits rolled, it said “In memory of Sam.” It was a
perfect ending to the scenario. Bittersweet, and a little funny.

What a fun game. Even more good news is that Valve will release some free
content in the next month or so to help prolong the game. Looking
forward to it.

My Thoughts on Fallout 3

I really should have written up my feelings about this game more promptly. The problem is that I have been playing it too much and not writing about it. I love this game. I received it as a Christmas gift last year and I have been playing it since. (I think that it is worth noting that I play the game on PC)

I played Oblivion, which is from the same developer as this game and uses the same engine. When I first played that game, I was so overwhelmed with all that I could do that I left the game for a while. I finally was able to get back into Oblivion, understand it, and play the heck out of it. The open world was amazing. I got heavily into user-mods as well.

When I heard about Fallout 3, I did not get overly excited. I had put over 100 hours into Oblivion and was not sure that I was ready to play the same game with guns and muted colors.

Well, I was wrong. I do not remember how it happened, but I caught the bug for Fallout 3 pretty bad. I became enthralled by post apocalyptic fiction and scenarios. When I finally received the game, I was excited. I ignored my family for a while on Christmas and read the manual. (I'm going to do a post soon on user manuals, and how I lament their death.)

When finally our visits to family were over, I got around to installing the game on my computer as quickly as I could. The beginning of the game was genius. Helping to guide the player through character development and laying down the initial narrative. When things turned violent and I had to leave the vault, I was ready.

I tend to always play good characters on my first play-through of games. I would like to think that I am fairly good-natured, and I have a hard time breaking that mold in-game. The game funneled me toward Megaton and I set about helping the locals and trying to find my dad.

I think that the main quest of this game was very well done. It was a pretty tight narrative that kept you moving, but allowed you the freedom to move around and explore. I know that the ending of this game is almost uniformly reviled by the internets, but I think that it was the necessary ending to the story.

I think that VATS was a great addition to the game. I can not say that I am a megafan of the Fallout series. I have dallied with Fallout recently and think it is pretty clever, but I really enjoy the Bethesda-style RPG these days. But adding this mode in as a sort of throwback to the turn-based RPG was a great move.

The Perks you can get to give your character some flavor and a bit of a boost are also a great thing. I look to these games as an outlet for roleplaying, so I sometimes take less advantageous perks that I think fit the character I am playing.

As is the common complaint of PC gamers, I ended up spending some extra money to be able to play this game more as it was meant to be played. I upgraded my graphics card, which gave me an immediate and amazing performance boost. I could see far into the horizon, and spot enemies from much farther away. This also helped make the world seem more alive. I would witness battles between roving Radscorpion and RobCo Robots that I would not even run into unless I wanted to try and take down the wounded victor. I could see far enough now to avoid enemies instead of stumbling blindly around. VATS was also much faster to use. I even ended up downloading some high-resolution texture packs in order to make my game even more beautiful. As beautiful as a post apocalyptic wasteland can be..

I also bought the adapter for my Xbox 360 Controller. Since this game is less twitch oriented than a first person shooter, I wanted to be able to play from my couch in comfort. This really made the game a pleasure to play and show to my friends. I definitely recommend the Xbox Controller and adaptor as the easiest to use gamepad that I have ever used.

I think that it is important for me to mention User Modifications for this game. As with Morrowind and Oblivion, Bethesda released an editor for those talented enough to make their own content. I use the Fallout 3 Nexus (http://www.fallout3nexus.com/) to find the mods that I want. These mods really help to extend the life cycle of these games, for free. This is a definite plus for people on a budget. I mentioned the texture packs earlier. Some mods are silly, new clothing for your character, but I enjoy them. Other mods have all new quests to follow and factions to join or fight against. The community for Fallout 3 is really beginning to hit its stride now.

I hope that anyone who enjoys post apocalyptic gaming, role playing, open world gaming, and whatever other genres this game fits into picks up Fallout 3 and gives it a try.

I Game On a Budget: Origins

Who am I?

My name is Devlin. I am a 25 year old (at the time of this writing) student who enjoys playing video games in his spare time. I served in the United States Navy for four years. I have studied Philosophy and Graphic Design. Currently I focus more on the graphic design.

I decided to start this blog after reading other gaming blogs that I enjoy, brainygamer.com being the first among them. I enjoy intelligent discourse on games. I am not looking to make any money or become famous. I just want to join in on the discourse on my hobby.

I've entitled the blog I Game on a Budget because I have a wife, mortgage, two dogs, and responsibility. I love new games and can become swept up on the hype trains as much as anyone else, but I limit my video game spending to roughly the equivalent of one new game a month. Sometimes I will get a few cheaper games, or borrow them from my friends. As such, this is not the place to come for timely reviews or sneak peeks at new games. I am here to discuss games in-depth. Since I am limited in my purchases, I try to get the most out of a game before turning to something new.

I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it and perhaps will join in the discussion.