Video Games I've Been Playing Lately - Quarantine Edition
With the quarantine still raging in NYC, I've had the opportunity to get a lot of gaming done, both "tabletop" and video. I've already spoken about all the 18XX gaming I have been getting in, thanks to some wonderful websites (and a new one that has popped up since that post), so I will be leaving those games out. This post will be focused on the video games that I have been playing.
Doom (2016)
The reboot of the classic PC game franchise took me a little while to beat. Not because it is all that difficult, but I think I was a little burned out on the series after playing through Doom 1 and 2, plus the newly released Doom 1 WAD Sigil (a WAD is a Doom level pack). Where Doom 3 went in a horror direction and was slowly paced and very different from the original games, Doom 2016 went back to its roots. The game is frenetic and filled to the brim with gory gunplay and hard-hitting melee attacks. The gameplay here is really solid and sound and graphics match up nicely. The soundtrack is great and the sound effects enhance the graphics and gameplay in a way that makes this an amazing experience, and a worthy successor to the original games. The multiplayer is good, but that isn't the reason most will be playing this game. That said there are plenty of team-based and free for all modes on offer. You won't get bored! This would be a really great starting point for the series, and as it is available on every modern console at a cheap price, you shouldn't hesitate to give it a shot.
Pillars of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity is a modern CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game) released in 2015. This game is a modern take on the systems used in games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. You create a character and guide them through a detailed world with a complex story that allows for branching paths based on the decisions you make. This was an incredible experience, and well worth the 40 or so hours I put in to finish the game. I didn't do every mission or side quest. I didn't do any bounties. I didn't find all of the companions. And I didn't explore every nook and cranny. Had I gone for all of that, I probably would have gotten another 40 hours out of the game. The story explores a cross between science and magic known as Animancy and a secretive group that has been popping up around the different regions of the world. I won't say any more than that to avoid spoilers, but it's a good story! The characters have much better pathing, and there are a lot of quality of life features that make this an easier game to play than earlier titles. The combat is tactical and deadly and provides for many ways to tackle problems. If you have ever enjoyed Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale, or have wanted to play those, this would be a solid pickup. The game can be had for cheap and has a much needed mechanical and graphical face-lift compared to those earlier examples from the genre.
Zombie Army Trilogy
This was a ton of fun. Zombie Army Trilogy is a compilation of three Zombie Army games all in one package. There are 15 levels total, and each will take roughly one to two hours depending on the players. Zombie Army Trilogy is a co-operative horde shooter. The hordes are comprised of all sorts of zombies: suicide bomber zombies, chainsaw zombies, giant machine gunner zombies, flaming zombies, etc. All of the zombies are also nazis. There is a story revolving around the occult and zombie Hitler, but none of that really matters. It is overused action movie stuff. The gameplay is king here. There are four difficulty levels and multiple options for friendly fire, wind resistance, and more. Plenty there to create the game you want to play. There are multiple secrets to find in every level and plenty of zombies to kill. The game plays in third person and every character has a rifle, secondary weapon, pistol, and a few different types of explosives. Past that it is all about set-ups and aim. While all character movement and fighting with anything other than the rifle is handled in third-person, aiming with a rifle is done in first-person. All of it feels good. It's a great feeling to kill multiple zombies with one bullet, and as you get a score for keeping up a kill combo, there is this great high-score layer that adds a sense of competitiveness to the game. Playing this in multiplayer is definitely the way to go. I wouldn't go back to this game solo. It just loses its luster. The graphics are fine for an older game and the sound adds to the experience. The soundtrack is pretty good, but you won't be paying too much attention to it as the gameplay is non-stop. By the end, we had played for about 20 hours combined in the campaign and horde modes, and that was perfect for my group. If you can get your hands on a few friends to play with, pick this up. It's solid.
Well, that does it for my recent video game playing. Next time I will be posting all about my tabletop gaming over the last few weeks. Stay safe!
Doom (2016)
The reboot of the classic PC game franchise took me a little while to beat. Not because it is all that difficult, but I think I was a little burned out on the series after playing through Doom 1 and 2, plus the newly released Doom 1 WAD Sigil (a WAD is a Doom level pack). Where Doom 3 went in a horror direction and was slowly paced and very different from the original games, Doom 2016 went back to its roots. The game is frenetic and filled to the brim with gory gunplay and hard-hitting melee attacks. The gameplay here is really solid and sound and graphics match up nicely. The soundtrack is great and the sound effects enhance the graphics and gameplay in a way that makes this an amazing experience, and a worthy successor to the original games. The multiplayer is good, but that isn't the reason most will be playing this game. That said there are plenty of team-based and free for all modes on offer. You won't get bored! This would be a really great starting point for the series, and as it is available on every modern console at a cheap price, you shouldn't hesitate to give it a shot.
Pillars of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity is a modern CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game) released in 2015. This game is a modern take on the systems used in games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. You create a character and guide them through a detailed world with a complex story that allows for branching paths based on the decisions you make. This was an incredible experience, and well worth the 40 or so hours I put in to finish the game. I didn't do every mission or side quest. I didn't do any bounties. I didn't find all of the companions. And I didn't explore every nook and cranny. Had I gone for all of that, I probably would have gotten another 40 hours out of the game. The story explores a cross between science and magic known as Animancy and a secretive group that has been popping up around the different regions of the world. I won't say any more than that to avoid spoilers, but it's a good story! The characters have much better pathing, and there are a lot of quality of life features that make this an easier game to play than earlier titles. The combat is tactical and deadly and provides for many ways to tackle problems. If you have ever enjoyed Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale, or have wanted to play those, this would be a solid pickup. The game can be had for cheap and has a much needed mechanical and graphical face-lift compared to those earlier examples from the genre.
Zombie Army Trilogy
This was a ton of fun. Zombie Army Trilogy is a compilation of three Zombie Army games all in one package. There are 15 levels total, and each will take roughly one to two hours depending on the players. Zombie Army Trilogy is a co-operative horde shooter. The hordes are comprised of all sorts of zombies: suicide bomber zombies, chainsaw zombies, giant machine gunner zombies, flaming zombies, etc. All of the zombies are also nazis. There is a story revolving around the occult and zombie Hitler, but none of that really matters. It is overused action movie stuff. The gameplay is king here. There are four difficulty levels and multiple options for friendly fire, wind resistance, and more. Plenty there to create the game you want to play. There are multiple secrets to find in every level and plenty of zombies to kill. The game plays in third person and every character has a rifle, secondary weapon, pistol, and a few different types of explosives. Past that it is all about set-ups and aim. While all character movement and fighting with anything other than the rifle is handled in third-person, aiming with a rifle is done in first-person. All of it feels good. It's a great feeling to kill multiple zombies with one bullet, and as you get a score for keeping up a kill combo, there is this great high-score layer that adds a sense of competitiveness to the game. Playing this in multiplayer is definitely the way to go. I wouldn't go back to this game solo. It just loses its luster. The graphics are fine for an older game and the sound adds to the experience. The soundtrack is pretty good, but you won't be paying too much attention to it as the gameplay is non-stop. By the end, we had played for about 20 hours combined in the campaign and horde modes, and that was perfect for my group. If you can get your hands on a few friends to play with, pick this up. It's solid.
Well, that does it for my recent video game playing. Next time I will be posting all about my tabletop gaming over the last few weeks. Stay safe!
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