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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.