Forum Posts Following Followers
3804 176 273

dark_being Blog

Can't stop playing Dragon Age: Origins

I fall victim to the Dragon Age game yesterday. Played it through most of the night and some of the morning before I remembered I have a class I have to get to. But now all I can think of is powering on my PC and kill some more Darkspawn (and maybe save the kingdom or something).It's weird, since I usually don't play RPGs, especially not fantasy RPGs. But I have to say the DAO is probably the best one I have tried (and this is coming from a guy who couldn't stand Baldur's Gate).

I started the game as a Dalish Elf Warrior on easy mode and I think it was the right choice. I hate micro-managing by party or issuing commands mid-fight, so obviously I get my ass handed to me a lot, but as long as I have enough health potions and injury kits,I'm having fun. Combat is a little hectic and hard to follow, but exploring the world and completing quests is awesome. I can safely recommend it to anyone who has enough time and a strong will (addictive much?)

Who knows, maybe now I start playing more RPGs, at least from Bioware (I loved Mass Effect as well). And if you are playing Dragon Age as well, leave a comment telling me which Origins story you picked.

Saw impressions - part II

I WAS planning on make this a 3 part impressions blog entry, but since I finished the game yesterday, part 2 will be the last one.

So yeah, I finished saw in 3 days, and in less than 7 hours. Some would say it's a bad thing, but I'm glad it was a short game, since I was getting tired of it towards the end. The game is divided into 7 chapters and in each one detective Tapp needs to save someone he had wronged or had wronged him in the past. Basically the whole game revolves around solving puzzle after puzzle, trying not to get killed in between, and then solving one longer, more complicated puzzle to save this person. It is a weird formula, but it works.

In case you were wondering, puzzles do tend to repeat themselves quite a lot, but it never feels dull or over used, since they keep getting harder and harder. For example, one of the more common puzzles is to successfully complete a wiring circuit by re-routing power to a light bulb through pieces of wire. When you have one power source and two bulbs, it is pretty easy, but when having 2 power sources and over 10 bulbs, things are a bit more complicated. Add a ticking down clock and a man screaming in agony in the background and you got yourself a sticky situation.

In my playthrough I've discovered that combat is a lot easier than I initially thought. The various weapons Tapp can utilize are completely useless (with the exception of the gun) and using his fists is a lot quicker and deadlier. The main reason for that is that weapons are slow, while the fists are fast. Landing a punch on an enemy causes him to stumble a bit, granting an opening for another punch. SO tapping the punch button over and over is the best way to win a battle, even against the toughest of enemies.

All in all, Saw is a nice game, with solid atmosphere that would not shame a classic survival horror game. I will be writing a review, so for any more information about the game, check back soon. The reason this impressions blog is a bit short is because nothing much had changed since I started to game. Maybe someone with an interest in the movie series will appreciate the plot a bit more, but I can only look at it from a gameplay point of view. Anyways, if you're going to play this game, do so knowing this is a weekend game that will not last you very long or will offer much of a challenge. For you who won't be playing this game, go check out the ending video I posted HERE.

Saw impressions - part I.

I started Saw 2 days ago on my PC (I would get it for the X360, just for the achievements, but I don't own one) and played through two chapters (about 2 hours,maybe more). I have to say that in spite of my expectations, I had fun, and will definitely see it to the end.

I'm not a big fan of the Saw movies, and I've only seen the first 2. First one was very cool, IMO, mostly thanks to Cary Elwes, one of my favorite actors. But nevertheless, I think Saw: The Video game has potential.

First of all, it is a really slow paced game (so far), and the ever present sense of dread doesn't make it easier to walk the corridors of the abandoned insane Asylum your character is trapped in. It does feel more like a survival game more than a horror game, since it isn't really scary, but the instinct for self-preservation is always there, in the back of your head. I've encountered several puzzles so far and about 4 enemies (the rest I managed to avoid or lure into a trap), but it is obvious that puzzles are the game's strong side (like most survival-horror games): they are more fun and challenging, and seem to capture the spirit of the movies perfectly. True, in the short time I played some puzzles already appeared several times, but in different variations, but it is still fun to solve them every single time.

The combat is a whole different thing. The enemies I was forced to fight face to face were not very clever, but for some reason they were quicker than my character, and could beat him half to death before I could lay a single blow on them. It is possible to dodge and counter attack, but the mechanism is a bit clunky and un predictable. The best way to is to avoid combat altogether, or set traps along the way (using some tripwires and shotgun shells).

The main reason I'm enjoying the game is because of Jigsaw, the killer from the movie series. His part in the movie is flawless and really sets the entire mood of each new area or puzzle. His voice acting is superb (not the rest of the characters are trash), and the cryptic clues he leaves behind are a delight to solve.

The only really annoying thing I've noticed are the quick-time events triggered by opening certain doors. They are too obvious and really hard to mess up. And they repeat way too often... It seems like they are there just for the sake of keeping the player on his toes (I was already on my toes, thank you very much) and for the sake of having QTEs.

Anyways, I still can't recommend anything, but if it keeps going in the same direction, and will manage to stay fresh, I don't see any reason why fans of the genre and the movie alike won't enjoy this game.

I seem to be very disappointed lately (new review and the Wii).

It seems that lately most of the games I've played left me feeling really disappointed. Both Bionic Commando and Red Faction: Guerrilla turned out to be boring as hell, and Wolfenstein was nothing more than a mediocre shooter that holds no real interest. I am looking forward for some actual good games for my spanking new PC, but apart from the occasional Adventure game, there is a bleak wasteland of disappointment. The only ray of sunshine on my PC is Batman: Arkham Asylum (an awesome, awesome game). But that's no what I'm here to rant about (well, maybe just a little).

As I mentioned in previous blog entries (i think I did anyways) my girlfriend bought herself a Nintendo Wii, a console I have strong feelings of raging hatred for. She has little time to use it though, so every time I come over, I try it out a bit with a very miserable expression on my face. Nevertheless, I've decided to make good use of said console and get some of the more interesting games for it:

I got No More Heroes, which I'm bored with already;

I got House of the Dead: Overkill, which is quite fun actually (but only with a friend);

I got Dead Space Extraction, which I haven't had the time to try out yet;

I got Broken Sword 1: Director's Cut, played it all the way to the end, and enjoyed it so;

and of course some games for my gf: Mario Galaxy, de Blob, Rayman Raving Rabbids and that Brawl-Mario-Thingy.

But the game I want to talk about is Cursed Mountain, The Wee, sorry, the Wii's first attempt at survival horror, a genre that is very close to my heart (and my PS2). My full opinion on the game can be found HERE in my new review, but there are a few things I'd like to address here as well:


Cursed Mountain is not a good game, and I don't know if I should blame the developers or Nintendo. Most of the game's problems stem from the fact that it is a Wii game. The biggest problem is the controls, or to be more specific, the motion controls; they are simply unresponsive at a frustrating level. There are some more issues, but none as major as the controls.


Cursed Mountain is boring. Its slow pace and lack of any story development can really take the wind out of the most enthusiastic gamer. The story's premise is good, but I would have liked to see it go somewhere...

Cursed Mountain is uninspiring. There it nothing rememberable about it, and as soon as it is over, any trace of the game's experience simply fades away.

But most of all, Cursed Mountain is disappointing.

Remember my Mothership Zeta review?

Of course you do!

Anyways, it is now available as an official review on the site www.gameobserver.com. Check it OUT!

On a side note, my new PC hasn't arrived yet, and I must say it pisses me off quite a bit... I want to play some more games! I sick of second rate adventure games, and I need my new uber-computer to play the awesome recently released or up-coming titles!

But enough about that. Have a great Weekend everybody!

New review!

Last night (or was it morning) I finally set down in front of my computer and wrote a short (just one page) review for Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta, which you can read here!

There isn't a lot of other progress to report, apart from the usual new videos I've recently posted,but I would like to notify you all I'm buying a new PC soon (already got the list of parts I'm getting), so I will be able to play all these cool new games my current 2 year old (!) heap of junk can't run properly. It is sad that just after 2 years I already need to buy a new one, but thats what you get for going to the cheaper parts... the only good piece of hardware I've got in this machine is the nVidia 8800 GTS 320, and these days it is pretty obsolete. My new graphic card will be the X275 (again, nVidia) so I'm hoping for a longer life span...

That's is all for now! don't forget to check out my review and videos!

Don't feel like reviewing.

Don't know why, but after finishing my Damnation review I sat down to write my next review, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, and I just didn't feel like doing it. I usually love writing down my thoughts and impressions on various games, but lately it all seem like a chore. I have nothing new or interesting to say about any of the games I've played recently, and it really bugs me. Don't know if it just these particular games or if it's something bigger than that, but I hope it passes soon.

Don't get me wrong, Call of Juarez:BIB was an awesome game, and I even gave it an 8.0, I just can't find anything to say about it (nothing that can fill 2 pages). My review of this game can go something like this:
Fun, if headache-inducing, gameplay. Amazing graphics with beautiful scenery and a decent,predictable story.
That's all I've got, seriously... There is nothing else that caught my eye in my 6+ hours of playing.

What do you do when you don't feel like sitting down and writing your ideas and thoughts? Do you have any tips (or good games) for a disgruntled PC gamer?

Fallout 3, preparing for the end (plus a new review and some videos)

So I've finished playing through Fallout 3 for the second time, including all of the available add-on and downloadable content. I figured I should post some pictures of Brutos, my character, as he waits for the immanent alien invasion in the "Mothership Zeta" dlc.

Here you can see him relaxing outside of his suite in Tenpenny Tower. He is wearing his fancy suit, taken (by force) from the previous owner Tenpenny. The hostile take-over went without a hitch, and now Brutos Tower is a safe haven for everyone who can afford it. Those who resisted this transition of power were dealt with.

Here he is, ready for battle: Enclave Hellfire Armor and Winterized T-51b Power Helmet. The weapon on his back is the Gauss Rifle.

A glimpse into Brutos' pip-boy (the Devil himself).

A close up on the most feared man in the wasteland (just so you'd now to stay clear). I think the beard makes him look dignified.

*************************SPOILERS ALERT FROM THIS POINT ON*************************************

Where did the Citadel go? Over-looking the smoldering remains of the Citadel, wearing Ashur's Power armor and the Filtration Helmet. The weapon is the Man Opener from The Pitt.

Wearing Vence's coat and the Boogyman Helmet, firing the Backwater Rifle, a unique Lever-Action Rifle.

That's what a Nuka-grenade will do to you. Sporting the Ranger Combat armor and the Oasis Hood.

Some D.C. ruins site-seeing. Infront of you, you can see the remain of the White House. Just don't forget to wear your Advenced Radiation Suit, and carry a very special weapon -A3-21's Plasma Rifle.

Getting ready for a little vaction in Point-lookout? The impressive "Duches Gambit" will get you there saftly and quickly. Remember to pack lightly.

That's all for now, next time I'll try and post some on-loaction screenshots from the swamps of Maryland. If there anything you'd like to see on my next blog post, leave a comment.

And now a word from our sponsor:
A new review is up on my page: Damnation of the PC. Next on the list is Fallout 3's recent update - Point Lookout.
And don't forget to check out some of my latest "Game Endings" uploads (unless you plan on playing these games).

And as a side note, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is really fun!

Point Lookout? more like Point slightly less awesome than I originally thought

Another stubby post, but here goes:

I finished all the quests (main and side) in the new DLC for Fallout 3 "Point Lookout", and although I had a great time doing so, I feel a little cheated... no, not cheated, more like unfulfilled.

The new DLC does add a few new weapons and apparel items, most of them are even useful, and there is a really neat side quest involving Chinese spies and submarines, but other than that it fails to use the awesome environment to its advantage.The bog is spooky enough at night to be a great setting to some great horror quests or at least some grotesque monsters, but neither can be found anywhere in this new content. There are some gory locations and some nice attempts at the disturbing (the hanged dolls that can be find near Swampfolk's territory is a cool touch) but the DLC just can't live up to it's original premise.

I'd still recommend it to all Fallout 3 fans, since it is the best DLC to date. I guess my expectations were a little bit too high. Oh, and try taking it easy with the Punga fruits; those things go straight to your hips...