Natural Selection 2- The best of two worlds

Natural Selection 2 is available on Steam for $24.99 for the standard edition and $39.99 for the deluxe edition. It was released on October 30^th, 2013. A review copy was provided for review purposes. 

As what could be best described as a labor of love, Natural Selection 2 is upon us. What? You didn’t play Natural Selection? Ten years ago you might have seen this game as a Half-Life mod. It blended first-person shooter and real-time strategy into one fairly nice package. But Charlie Cleveland, it’s creator desired to take it further.

Natural Selection 2 is what happens when fans and designer rally around something and bring it to fruition. Unknown Worlds Entertainment completed NS2 recently and the love oozes out of every pour. Six years in development and ten years since the original, Natural Selection 2 crosses the borders (again) of two time-honored genres and create a haven for competitive gamers, FPS and RTS alike. Pouring hard earned funding and abundant creativity and precision, Natural Selection 2 delights far more than it bites.

DISCLAIMER: I am no great fan of FPS competitive multiplayer. I have poor reaction time and often become obsessed with non-essential aspects of the game. Left 4 Dead took the fight out of me, and I really have not gone back since a very demoralizing lesson in a tournament years ago.

RTS Flavored FPS? Two scoops please.

 The Great:

The RTS Element:

Having a commander on either side truly gives significant and genuine direction and intention to a sometimes-muddled genre(s). The Commander controls the RTS aspect of the game for either side. Providing upgrades and designating defensive points and construction fall into the list of responsibilities of this team leader.  This focus on having a player be able to control the board with the aid of real soldiers, whether human or alien, allows for an instant need to have a task and to want to succeed. A desire to want to be a part of the team is not only one of the greatest parts of the game, but it is necessary in survival.

Appointing tasks and being appointed tasks quickly creates camaraderie. You want to eradicate the aliens because they want to annihilate you. The commander sets the pace and gives you the tools you need to do this. A good commander is the deciding factor in a given battle and either adeptly places notices on the battlefield or gives commands over voice chat.

Earning resources either through player kills or harvesting of resources via structures built by the commander changes the field of play from session to session. The creativity and ability of the commander and the RTS portion of the game can dictate how any given battle can play out. Defending the makeshift or expanded base points creates a rhythmic cycle, and when your team is in the rhythm you feel it. The resources start to flow, upgrades pour over the field of battle and the other side is kept on its toes.

These things describe what seemed to be the best part of the game, focused teamwork.

Battles are quick, but clever tactics can turn the tide. 

 The Good:

The Community:

For the newly initiated it can be sometimes be daunting finding matches where you can cut your teeth on the game. Fortunately Natural Selection 2 allows matches to be tagged with “Rookie Friendly,” allowing for the new blood to be shown the ropes by patient veterans. The game has quirks and tactics that you simply must play to learn and in the hours (upon hours) of playing, I seldom encountered attitude issues towards people with varying skill levels.

A good community engenders a healthy player base and in turn can help an indie title like Natural Selection 2 sell copies of the game. This is good for all involved. Be the good that you want to see in Natural Selection 2 (that’s how the saying goes, right?)

There are always folks who want to strut, and they can have their virtual moment. I am all for some smack talk. But for the entirety smack talking I endured in Natural Selection 2, it was also balanced by constructive criticism and encouragement.

The Bad:

The Commander Learning Curve:

It is the deciding factor in winning. You must have a remotely competent Commander and the only way you get better is by playing. That may mean, that if you are a more casual player, that you will be subject to this learning curve. Be prepared to lose some matches if you have an inconsistent or non-communicative Commander.

Stepping into the role is intimidating. It is true resource management, one of which is the time of others playing. You are partially responsible as how your fellow player can enjoy their time in NS2, which puts a player in a tough spot. The Commander is a necessary role and though tutorials are available, it just pales to experience. Thankfully, if you require assistance there plenty of players who are happy to give their assistance (you will also garner unsolicited assistance, sometimes more than you know what to do with).

When biting humans, the direct approach is not recommended.

 The Horrible:

The Alien Connection:

This is being nitpicky, because I believe that NS2 does so much right with the blending of genres. But there should always be room for improvement.

The Humans have it easy; the majority of their weapons are ranged. The feel of blasting the enemy is familiar. The same cannot be said about the Aliens. The personal and visceral feel of chomping and bashing your foe lacks weight. It was obvious that damage was being dealt (damage numbers floating above the enemy), but the contact of bite to Human leg, groin and arm needed something tangible. The equivalence of the satisfaction of dispatching a foe with a shotgun or grenade needs to exist for the Aliens.

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The Final Word: BUY IT!

Natural Selection 2 is just a great time all around. It’s fun when you are winning. It’s not a terrible time when you are losing, and the option for creative tactics are countless. If you are looking for a break from your Call of Duties or Halo, Natural Selection 2 has plenty new for you’re to sink your teeth into.

*Not reviewed, but worth mentioning is the Level/Game Editor available in the Steam Workshop. It has the potential add even more value to an already value-laden title. 

Looking for someone with whom to play this and other games? Head on over to Pregamelobby!

How an unlikely music game saved my Vita

We cleaned out our closet a couple of weekends ago. This meant bagging up all of my Rock Band gear to make room for a makeshift home studio (the wife is starting a voice over career, don't you know). It sadly sat in a sack with its plastic frets protruding, drumsticks akimbo. Though it resided in a trash bag soon to to be stored, I took a moment to ponder on fond memories.

The first night I brought it home we played until 2am, when our neighbor finally came over, pounding on the door.

"The drums, man. I can't take it."

We played often and with passion. We gained sore shoulders and forearms from strumming and thwacking false instruments. And now, nothing. The instruments now reside in our garage, and it saddens me a little. Gathering folks together to play Rock Band was the last bastion of non-gamer gaming. It was considerably more inclusive than Dance Central or Just Dance. Not that I won't play those games, I do play those games. I am just less likely to play those games with friends who will ridicule me for my hot dance moves. And they are so hot. Like lava.

But something happened several weeks ago that made me reconsider the definition of a music game. At a point where I was considering ditching my PS Vita, I decided to give an indie game a shot, a last effort to redeem the doldrums of Sony's new handheld. That game was Sound Shapes. This game has brought a new definition to music games and music in games. It moved me emotionally, and while it never was particularly challenging, I enjoyed every bit of the journey.

Sound Shapes is odd, and explaining the game accurately has proven a challenge. Not because I can't merely say, " It is a platformer where you are a blob who collects stuff." How it affected me is wholly different. The blob-like avatar does collect stuff, but this stuff makes you an affective participant in the music of the game. You could  avoid collecting the floating orbs that hang in the attractive and creative scenes, but you are compelled to create music. You are the instrument of creativity. Once I finished the game, I made sure to look at the level creator, sketching levels on notepads during meetings at work. Playing out beats and themes in my head as I walked around downtown. Music became more visceral for me again, and it was through the medium of video games.

Sound Shapes saved my Vita boredom

Suffice to say I am back on track with my PS Vita. Though not every game is going to have a profound effect on me, it has been nice to use this fine piece of hardware. In fact I recently took up a news writing gig at PSNFans.com, writing primarily about the Vita. Keep an eye out for my articles.

Torchlight 2, ridculously delicious

It would be safe to say I was a fan of Torchlight. But what could possibly give one that idea? Maybe it was the hours upon hours played. Or perhaps my fleeting attempt at some Torchlight fan fiction? Or perhaps, the fact that I own the game on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade? When Torchlight 2 was announced I watched the news feed daily, only to see the promise of a release date be teased and pushed back to the brink of frustration, and stop just short. Now with its release imminent, my little gaming heart swells with joy. Is this just an old-fashioned love song for Runic Games, the creators of Torchlight and its sequel Torchlight 2? You bet. Let me break it down in three-part harmony.

 

PART 1:

Dagner and Delaney discuss dungeon etiquette.

I started my journey in Torchlight 2 as an Engineer. After clicking the random appearance button several times, settled on the monocle wearing, white haired warrior and a goggle-donning ferret as a companion pet. Though the options for customization are limited, they exist where there were none in Torchlight. The world of Torchlight is not photo-realistic, but it drips with a strong, comic book style. Dagner, my Engineer, looks as though he would sip on a cup of tea just before braining monsters with his over-sized wrench.

 

The style denotes your character’s background; it allows a player to create the moment before. It is rarely necessary to commit the time to generate a motivation for your hero, it is usually done for you or it is so basic that the particulars fall to the side. But the mood of Runic’s sequel is driven by a tone moved by story and music (music crafted by Matt Uelmen, known for the music behind Diablo I, II and Starcraft). Its music fills in the bright colors, fresh art and animation with mystery and even anxiety. Torchlight 2’s music helps in telling us another story, that the need for a hero is desperate; the heroes of the first game have failed. You may have thought you succeeded in destroying that evil, keeping it deep in the mines of the town of Torchlight. But you would be wrong. This is the story of my hero, there may be other heroes, but Dagner, and his trusty ferret Delaney are my heroes. With Torchlight destroyed, I carry on.

PART 2:

A steampunk-esque knight, the Engineer offers three distinct skill trees. I decided to focus on the “Blitz” skill tree, concentrating on smashing baddies to bits with two-handed weapons. After some much enjoyable thwacking I decide to stay with several specific skills to aid in my wrench hefting and smiting. Much like it’s predecessor, Torchlight 2 offers skill trees that open up new abilities or that aid in a passive manner. You can spread you points out and be a jack-of-all-trades within your class or stay the narrow course and focus on one skill tree. You can also decide how your character grows in strength, dexterity, focus and vitality. This adds another layer customization. You can grow your magic wielding Engineer or your fist weapon toting Embermage, it is up to you. You also can adjust how your pet companion engages in battle; feeding him fish can augment and transform it into a fearsome ally. The options for varied play are considerable.

General Grell tastes some wrench smacking goodness.

 Carrying out punishment on your enemies consists of pointing and clicking, and assuming you are close enough and strong enough your foe explodes or at least collapses in crumpled heap. Then bad guys drop loot, you pick it up, rinse and repeat. At first it would seem this formula would grow tiresome, but Runic knows the hooks. You level up, you distribute points you loot, you realize you need another level to use that awesome axe, you smash more monsters, you loot more stuff, you level, you look at your loot, you distribute points, you just spent an hour staring at the screen. You log off, right? No. You turn in that quest item, sell your loot, buy new loot, go out to try it out on the enemy and it starts all over again. The formula is terribly precise and addictive. 

 This may sound familiar for those who played the first Torchlight, but each step that seems familiar explodes with depth, care and thought. One particular step that was needed in Torchlight was multiplayer. Torchlight 2 addresses this with simple grace. A familiar pre-game lobby negotiates open games. Once I decided to hop online and join in a pick-up game, I found myself paired with another Engineer, using sword and shield and protective spells. We scurried about the land, kicking up sand in the faces of warbeasts, ratlins and skeletons. As easily as it was to join we parted ways. Heroes are everywhere, but sometimes they need to wake the baby up from his nap and fix lunch.  

 PART 3:

Dagner confirms that the Guardian has been protected.

I have read many reviews of many games and one thing I never read about is how the game affects you when you are not playing it. This to me is perhaps the most important part of a game. Does it have a life outside of playtime? For Torchlight 2 it is a resounding, YES. After only a first brief play through I longed to smash the evil denizens of the land, to take their loot and drool over it like some crazed fiend. I calculated level up skill points and how I was going to distribute it them. I wanted to hear the music and sounds of the world of Torchlight 2. I want to carry these things in my day-to-day life when I am not playing games as much as I would carry characters from a book or movie. Torchlight 2 has painted such a simple yet beautiful balance of story, art, music and game play that I will be coming back for more. Furthermore it is astonishing that this game sells for $19.99. The return on investment is ridiculous. Pick it up, pick two up and bring a friend, it’s time for some adventure. I hope to see you all in game.

Torchlight 2 is released on 9/20/2012 from Runic Games.

The Fin is for Fun

It never dawned on Jermaine to not bowl. Being a bowler, and a part of the bowling league had always been his life long dream. Thursday nights could not come quick enough as he edged through the harshly boring week. The hum of the flourescent lights in his office would send him into a hypnotic dream. A dream where his sea green 12 pound ball would glide across the lane, disintegrating  the pins that would evaporate into clouds shaped like obese winged fairies, with breasts that would undulate as their tiny wings flapped.

But Jermaine would have to wait for bowling. It was only Tuesday.

Lawrence sat across from him. Lawrence was on a call. His fleshy lips always flapping, never ceasing. The call ended. Jermaine would listen to Lawrence have the rest of the conversation, played out in voices that Lawerence thought were different, they weren't. He would gesticulate with his meaty, hairy hands and snort out of his bulbous nose. Jermaine also thought it grossly inappropriate to make fun of the blind, people can be cruel. Dolphins are different than people, Jermaine put his coffee cup down on his desk. His pectoral fins careful not to spill the steaming liquid on the pristine pillings of paperwork. Lawrence continued his imaginary dialog as Jermaine stared through him. Stared through his thoughtless rants on guide-dogs and canes.

Jermaine's mind wandered to last Saturday morning. He lay in bed with Marsha. She was a human who was more like a dolphin, more so than any human he had ever met. She held him, spooning him perfectly. He was thankful for this grace given to his race, to be able to be spooned like no other species. To be held, and never to be able to hold was an evolutionary crime, because with fins, you can never embrace.

Okamiden or the well intentioned house guest that stayed a bit too long

You get the call. {EAV:845042aad297d746}


"Dude, it's Mike, Bob's little bro. I'm in town for a few and was wondering if could crash at your place?"


You think, sure, why not? Bob is great. Mike has to be as cool as Bob, right?


"Sure Mike. Come on over."


And that's how it starts, you let this guy you only half sort of know into your house to stay for a "few."

You see Mike is Okamiden, the plucky Nintendo DS sequelish of Bob, the beloved PS2 (and the slightly less beloved Wii) title Okami. You with me? Good.

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   *SPOILERS*

 Okamiden has plenty to live up to when being compared to Okami. But it seems to be up to the task from the start. The touch screen and stylus work better than the Wii remote could ever hope in Okami. The PS2 controls work well for Okamiden's predecessor, though it seemed to be fully realized as you portray the deity doggie in pocket form. There is a sense of satisfaction that I felt as the unspoken consciousness of the sun goddess's progeny, striking foes with a celestial brush. It just makes sense. It is almost as if the original game should have been on the DS had it the ability to capture the truly beautiful visuals.

Okami won me over with this key premise. That art can be used as a tool to make sense of the world. It can make it beautiful and frightening. It can be dangerous and renewing.

Okamiden also honors Okami by maintaining a semblance of its vivid visuals and sounds. It looks similar to Okami and plays similar than Okami, but there is something hiding beneath the surface. It just takes a while for it to rear its head.

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 You let Mike sleep on the couch. The first night is actually a lot of fun. He ponies up for pizza and beer. You hang out, share some stories, tell a few jokes. Bob's little brother is pretty cool. How long can a house guest stay? Right? A day or two and he'll be on his way. 

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So now begins your venture into Nippon. As the diminutive child god-dog of the heroine of the previous iteration you befriend other child heroes and travel across the land kicking up the sand.

Is it because this is a handheld game that the heroes have to be children? I moved forward, seeking out new powers for your god brush and helping the hapless as one does in adventure games.

But seriously. The adults in this game allow a puppy and children of the age of no more than eight years to help them. Fetch you your pottery old man? Whilst slaying all of these demons, you want me to also look for your earthenware? Okay. Fine. You better pray real hard if I find your bowl.

Ahem. Sorry. I did enjoy cleaning up the land. I loved helping the characters with there task mostly because the damn game is so cute. Draw a circle around a tree and blossoms appear, boom. Draw a circle around a patch of evil looking turf, bam. I am cleaning up Nippon. I feel pretty good.


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You head out to work the next day and Mike assures you he will look after place while you're at your place of employ. You head home expecting to say adieu to Bob's little bro, but he has ordered pizza and bought some more beer. Great. 


Another evening of similar jokes, stories and forced brouhaha. There were worse ways you could imagine spending the evening, but it feels a little disingenuous to keep laughing at the same jokes. He keeps referring to last night. 

"Remember how funny that was when I said that thing, last night?"


"Yes, Mike. That was funny."


It's fine. He'll be gone tomorrow, right?

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I make no qualms with sequels using what works in what defined the previous game. That wasn't even an issue. Out of nowhere this game about mysticism and magic, nature and faith, the truly charming stuff about the universe of the game, is dumped on. By the sloppy writing of one character. One character brings this admirable title to it knees.

 Like most of the characters in Okamiden, this character is  roughly a miniature version of a similar character in Okami (see Waka). But the Moon Tribe character Kurow annoys me. He took me completely out of the game. And the character isn't even a a kid. Its a doll.

This game is about an evil little Pinocchio. It was about a son of a goddess helping the land of Nippon, but now it is about a selfish little doll who jeopardizes everything because he is lonely. This is what happens when you try to write a story in a universe that was aptly conceived by someone else.

Hideki Kamiya has some chops. Great big chops. He is writer and director of Okami, he also directed Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe.

Yukinori Kitajima wrote Okamiden. I can find nothing else that he has done. I am sure he is a fine individual. But he has no chops as far as I can tell. Why was this chop-less person allowed to write Okamiden? Why!?! <shakes fist>

I can see not investing time and effort into a DS title. I can see it not being worth their time over there at Capcom. But the lack of effort shows. I will say what I heard from all of my teachers in grade school. "He would do so much better if he would just put forth the effort."

Okamiden, you could have been something grand. You just needed a little polish. 
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You come home from work and the house is empty, but something is not right. You can hear the toilet running and water pooling outside the bathroom door. Mike took a monster dump and destroyed the toilet. He left your house like this. 


Bob would be so disappointed.
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 Well fine. Okamiden isn't really like someone took a dump in your toilet and let it over flow. It does have a lot of the charm of its predecessor. But not its weight. Not its beauty. It neglects the narrative of a deity that is trying to save the world through reviving nature. It is a thrifty version of its original title, but it didn't have to be.

Final thoughts: Okamiden is a valiant effort and emulates glimpses of the original's heart, however like boy puppet in the game who wants to be loved, it dies an empty death. Being forced to have compassion for a character so selfish, is trite. I wish I had a celestial brush to be able to erase this portion of the game, getting it closer to the majesty of the original.

Analog to Digital Gaming Just Got Interesting

I can't tell you how many hours I have spent plodding out new characters for Dungeons & Dragons. It is a constant obsession. For the past 15 years I have been playing with the same group of friends. It has been on again off again for that time, but we have always come back to the table. Some of us enjoy it more than others. Some of my fellow gamers enjoy Xbox Live multiplayer over the table top gaming world, but to each their own. Give me long, tactical battles that can be swayed by chance. Give me a chance to play a character that will cause eyes to roll or generate a laugh. At anytime we can stop the game, look at each other and recall a story from the week prior, order pizza, have a smoke or stop to watch the latest game preview.

Those benefits aside, let's talk about the shared storytelling or the interactive fiction involved with a tabletop role-playing game. As a group we have generated an incredible amount to content through this ritual. These stories are valuable. We can remember whose character unleashed the wrath of an ancient god or role-played out of a scripted fight. We did this communally.

I was hopeful when the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game appeared. I was so excited to share this experience in the realm of video games. I remember creating my first character in Everquest, he was an old befuddled High Elf Enchanter who liked to fish. I would play the game and interact with others as this character. But it seems I was doing it wrong, not to many people caught on and I couldn't level up as a "roleplayer." Countless mmorpgs have graced my pc, none have replicated the exhiliration I get when gaming with my friends around the table with pen and paper. They have generated new addictions and obsessions (thanks for those by the way) but it is not the same.

But now these guys come along:

If you are still not clear on this you should check out their Kickstarter donation page. It is simply amazing and ambitious and just god-damned clever. Go ahead, Ill wait for you to come back...

I hope these guys can make it happen. In fact, anyone who can, chip in $5 to this Kickstarter. Consider it my Christmas present.

I will be one the first ones to start the story rolling, who wants to be the hero?

Follow these ambitious fellows on the Twitter, @WrittenWorldHQ

Dusting it off...

It is no great surprise that I have been absent from this post. The boy is bustling with 8 months of energy and what little time I have is spent in Skyrim or lamenting not playing  Skyrim.

I did try the hardcore fan fiction thing with Torchlight, I honestly did. But my endeavor to play until I died lasted only so long. It happened like this:

I was adventuring through the depths of mines of Torchlight when suddenly...The baby cries. I look over to make he is okay, he is, I look back. I am dead. And the sad thing is I tried to start over, several times. Even though it wasn't within the preset, self-imposed rules, I started over. The baby cries, I look, he is fine, I look back and on Torchlight, dead.

Alas, this the life of gamer dad with an infant son.

Though the game of trying figure out my boy is by far the most challenging. He is constantly evolving puzzle that offers little clues to its solution. But the rewards are amazing. Right now he has figured out how to zombie crawl, down right cute, especially when he is terrorizing the dog.

Anyhow, I struggle to eek out sometime to play Skyrim. My elder Orc Shaman type has just felled his second dragon. The game is simply amazing. Yay, Bethesda.