Steam Summer Sale

I thought I would take a break from writing about The Witcher 3 (still playing it and having a blast).  Chances are I will write more about it because it is my main focus at the moment but for now, to other news!

Praise Gabe...bringing us amazing deals!

A couple of days ago there were several news stories about the accidental leak of the dates of the Steam Summer Sale.  Steam sales are a magical time where you can stock your gaming library with some great games for dirt cheap.  It's also a time when you can make your pile o' shame a little higher.  (I'm a sucker for $2 games that usually end up unplayed) The leaked dates are June 11th to June 20th with a two additional "encore days" to pick up any great deals that you missed.

My wishlist has a few games on it that I am hoping to grab on the cheap.  There are several indies that I would like to grab for a few bucks.  I'm intrigued by the Cities:  Skylines game but the simulation genre is one that I have mixed experience with.  One game I am hoping will be a featured sale is Pillars of Eternity.  I read a really great article about it and think a big, gorgeous RPG is perfect for my long summer days.  (Divinity:  Original Sin is one of the stars in my pile o' shame--I'm probably 80% done with it, but just can't make myself finish the rest...it's one of my goals for this summer).

So pool your resources and get prepared for the spending spree that is the Summer Sale.  I know I will be anxiously watching the deals and hoping to check off a few games I have been wanting to play.

New Trolłs?

I have been disappointed that they decided to change the model for trolls in The Witcher 3.  Rather than looking like the big, lunkheaded terrors from The Witcher 2, they now look like a squatty pile of rocks (at least the ones I've stumbled across so far).  Bring back the old trolls!

Geralt talks to a troll in The Witcher 2.

I've had a soft spot for the trolls since The Witcher 2.  Yes, they're ugly and will eat human flesh but they seem pretty harmless.  In The Witcher 2, Geralt is called in to intervene on troll related matters a few times.  Players are given the option to talk to the trolls and come to a peaceful agreement or to kill them.  Killing them usually yields the best rewards but seems wrong.  Trolls are sentient beings...albeit really simple ones.  Killing them just seems wrong.  My favorite troll quest came involved an angry female troll who was upset at her husband (another troll) for rescuing Triss Merigold.  She wanted to eat Triss but the husband like Triss way too much to eat her.  Eventually Triss woke up and escaped...that's how Geralt finds things when he arrives in the area around Vergen.  (Possible spoilers ahead.)

.A rock troll in The Witcher 3.

Even though I'm not digging the new troll model in The Witcher 3, last night I finished an enjoyable side quest featuring one of these lovable monsters.  The quest text hints that people have heard singing from an island near Oxenfurt.  Geralt investigates and finds a rock troll living in the ruins of an old fort.  Upon speaking to the singing troll he discovers that the creature met some Redanian soldiers who tasked it with guarding the boats because peasants were stealing them.  So, in all it's troll wisdom, it decided to build a fort out of other boats.  The troll explains how some peasants came and attacked it and the Redanian soldiers it had befriended.  Things didn't turn out so well for the soldiers or for the peasants and the troll ended up being the lone survivor of their tussle.  It is upset at the loss of it's soldier friends but is currently cooking up a stew from the peasants.  This troll really loves the Redanian army and wants Geralt to fetch some paint in Redanian colors so it can show it's loyalty to Redania.  Once Geralt has fetched the paint from a merchant in Oxenfurt, he or the troll can paint something resembling the Redanian coat of arms on the troll's "fort."

It was a goofy quest but I thought it was cute!  I just can't willingly harm a troll.  

Awkward Reunion

My The Witcher 3 journey continued and I have finally made the bold move of going to Novigrad.  This only happened after I at least checked out every single marked location on the map in Velen (which took a surprisingly long time--I would complete the objectives in an area with monsters under or close to Geralt's current level and run like hell from the higher level ones).  As a completionist it's difficult to leave a job undone!  (Spoilers ahead!)

Novigrad is a big change from the swampy, monster infested badlands that is Velen.  The city of Novigrad is very large and has a very medieval feel--muddy roads filled with townsfolk, beggars, thieves, merchants, whores, and any other number of inhabitants.  The multi-story houses are a change from the thatched huts that make up the villages in the outlying areas.  Central to the city of Novigrad is a large open square where merchants have their stalls...and also where they like to burn any magic users at the stake.  Radovid really hates mages!

Triss Merigold

Geralt is also tasked with finding his former love interest and sorceress Triss Merigold.  When Geralt is first sent on his quest to find Ciri, Yennerfer informs him that he should go talk to her about any possible sightings in Novigrad.  In The Witcher 2, players had multiple chances to make their relationship with Triss somewhat clear.  Geralt could give Triss a Rose of Rememberance and claim his love for her or keep it and send a clear message that she isn't really all that important to him.  When Geralt finally meets Triss in Novigrad their exchange is strained and awkward.  Triss mentions that she and Geralt had decided to part ways six months before.  She also asks about Yennefer....it's clear that she understands Geralt's feelings for Yennefer and seems hurt.

I've always liked Triss as a character but know that Geralt's relationship with her was one of convenience.  After he had lost his memory, Triss had been there to help him recover it.  In the process Geralt and Triss grew quite close, but as his memories of Yennefer came back he realized that she was the one who he loved.

Ahhh, it's one big sorceress love triangle.  Such is the life of Geralt of Rivia.

More The Witcher 3 Choice Reflection

A few days ago I wrote about some of the difficult decisions I had to make while adventuring through the swamplands of Velen as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher 3.  I've found that I'm resoundingly bad at choosing the right options for a positive outcome.  The trend continued as I pursued Ciri via the main quest line.  (Spoilers ahead!)

Eventually I reached a a spot that introduced me to the so-called "Ladies of the Wood."  These women/witches/monsters are powerful beings who reside in the depths of the swamps and who serve a strange role in the land of Velen.  Are they protectors or are they monsters who spy and scheme against the villagers?  When going to meet the crones you also meet a crazy, old woman and a group of orphaned children living in some huts in the swamp.  After a discussion with the children you learn that the kids call the woman "Gran" and that she takes care of them.  It seems like a great arrangement for these kids who have suffered because of the war raging across the land.  Then Gran takes you to meet the "ladies" and you watch while they communicate through her (complete with a creepy eyes rolled back in the head sequence) and command you to take a dagger to the aldorman of a neighboring village and that he knows what to do.  It's all very vague, but you know something bad is going to happen.

Geralt meets the "ladies."

Upon meeting the aldorman you learn that his village is being terrorized by some sort of curse around a local spot of importance--an ancient tree.  He asks Geralt to lift the curse from the area.  At the tree you hear a voice...a talking tree?  As you venture through a cavern and under the roots of the giant tree you learn that there is some sort of disgusting blob-like creature attached to the roots.  This creature informs you that it is the trapped spirit of a druid that was killed by the "ladies."  It begs you to free it from the tree.  It also informs you that the "ladies" are planning on eating the orphans and that it can save them if you free it.

I had learned from the whole Fyke Island fiasco that you can't trust anything that monsters tell you.  I decided that this blobby thing was probably lying and that it would just be better to kill it...but I also wanted to save the orphans.  Is it better to loose whatever the blobby thing actually is onto the world or to save the kids?  Tough decision.  After slaying a few endregas the tree spirit also succumbed.  I met the aldorman outside and watched as he cut off his ear to give to the "ladies."  What?

Back at the swamp village the "ladies" directly confronted Geralt.  The "ladies" were nothing like what was depicted in the painting and seem like horrible monsters.  They also threw in some fun facts about how the orphans were particularly delicious because Gran had done a great job fattening them up.  Wow, that sucks.

I decided to go back and re-play the whole tree sequence and help the spirit this time.  This "spirit" seems a lot like a demon....

Did I make the right choice?  Is there a right choice?  I only see negative outcomes from both choices--in one version you are releasing some sort of evil onto the world but in the other you are allowing the orphans to be eaten by the crones.  Maybe there is no positive outcome?  That's dark....but completely fits into the world.

The Witcher 3 Controversy

If you're like me and a big fan of The Witcher series you've undoubtedly been sinking a lot of hours into the grand epic that is The Witcher 3.  If you're someone who follows gaming news you also know that there has been some controversy related to it.  There are many people who feel that they were misled by an early gameplay trailer that showed a much higher graphic quality than what was actually released in the game.  I would like to say that I'm also outraged...but I'm not.

I am not one of the uber-tech gamers who is into calculating framerates and who is brutally upset if I can't play a game on max settings at max frames.  I'm just not.  I am excited if a game looks nice and runs well and most importantly....is fun and engaging.  It's fine with me if people are into all the technical settings and maybe they do have a right to be upset, but part of me wants to say that their outrage seems silly.

The wide, open world in The Witcher 3 is gorgeous and gives the game a very satisfying atmosphere.  I have spent a lot of time exploring Velen and love the transition from swampy, monster-infested bogs to light forests.  I love stumbling onto a battlefield that is scattered with the gory remnants of the war raging between Nilfgaard and the Northern Kingdoms.  I don't think having prettier trees or better shadows or higher resolutions would change this at all.  If they had to lower the graphic quality to create the huge world filled with this mix of natural beauty and ugliness...so be it.  I, for one, don't feel disappointed or misled at all.

Geralt prepares to journey down the "Trail of Treats" in Velen

A big part of my non-disappointment might come from the fact that it's CD Projekt Red that we're talking about.  They have proven to be one of the few game developers out there who seem to have gamer's best interests in mind.  Their games are DRM-free!  I have a hard time believing that they would willfully do something that would be harmful to the experience of their audience.  Maybe I'm being naive.

I do believe that companies should accurately represent their products, but I think this is just a case of people being a little too picky.  So far The Witcher 3 has been a grand adventure of decapitations and tracking down monsters and I have barely scratched the surface.  I think to de-cry it for something so minor is doing it a disservice.

(Here is a link to a recent PC Gamer article discussing these issues--"CD Projekt adresses Witcher 3 graphical downgade complaints")

Making Bad Choices in The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3 provides gamers with ample opportunities to make moral decisions.  I enjoy these pressing moral choices and find myself agonizing over them way too much.  Alarmingly I have discovered that many of my seemingly good natured decisions have backfired.  (Spoilers ahead about earlyish gameplay in The Witcher 3!  Read with caution)

Geralt has been adventuring in Velen for a nice chunk of time and has had to make some tough decisions.  I'm going to lay out the choices I made and then their mostly bad consequences...yup, I chose poorly.

1.) Griffin attack victim (from White Orchard)
In the quaint, monster infested village of White Orchard, Geralt meets the local herbalist while searching for ingredients to use as a lure for an angry griffin.  The herbalist has been tasked with treating a woman who has been attacked by the beast and the victim isn't doing well--the herbalist informs Geralt that the woman has internal bleeding and will most likely die soon.  Geralt, being the kind soul that I have made him, decides to intervene and offers up a witcher potion that may or may not save the woman's life.  This proposition is risky because witcher potions are generally lethal to the normal population.  The choice boils down to letting the herbalist treat the woman with sedatives that won't save her life but will stave off the pain until she dies or risk using the witcher's potion to save her life.  Geralt then goes on his merry way and you don't really learn if the woman survived or not.

It's later in Velen that Geralt finally learns of the woman's fate.  As Geralt is visiting the friendly Nilfgaardian "work center" camp he is called aside by a soldier tho tells him that the woman survived.  For just a millisecond I felt really awesome, like I had made a great decision....then the soldier adds that the woman is basically a lifeless zombie who can't remember anyone and sleeps most of the day and that this fate is worse than death.  Not what I was shooting for....

2.) Rats!  The Curse Island--Fyke Island/Keira Metz questline
Early in Velen, Geralt meets the local cunning woman/healer/witch who turns out to be a sorceress in hiding.  Keira Metz is one of the powerful mages who was part of the Lodge of Sorceresses and who has been exiled after the death of King Foltest.  She seems sad and dejected at having been forced to live in the swampland that is Velen and I have to admit that the decisions I made were motivated by this factor.  Geralt stepped and fetched for her out of pity and she turned out to be just as devious as all sorceresses!  I should have seen that coming from a mile away....

Keira's quests have Geralt working to search an island that she claims is under the influence of a powerful curse left by a mage who performed experiments there.  Geralt is tasked with lifting the curse on the island and finding out what happened to the mage who was an associate of Keira's.  After searching a very creepy and haunted tower and gathering clues, Geralt reaches the top of the tower and finds the ghost of a local noblewoman.  This ghost claims that she was mistakenly killed during the peasant uprising that also killed off the other inhabitants of the tower.  Quite horribly she was given a potion that caused her to fall into a deep sleep that looked like death.  When she awoke she was paralyzed and eaten alive by rats.  Yes, it's that horrible.  She then convinces Geralt that by taking her remains to her beloved, a fisherman in a local village, that he can break the curse.

Nice shrine....

So I traipsed Geralt across the water to the fisherman's hut.  I watched as Geralt calmly informed him about what had happened to his girlfriend...."sorry, but rats ate her alive. "  The fisherman agreed to bury the remains and I felt like I had just done something nice and lifted the curse from the island.  As Geralt rounds the corner of the hut he hears a noise and is called back inside to see what happened--he is greeted with the site of the dead fisherman and a giant pile of rats...and the unleashed spirit of some sort of monster...a pelta.  Besides unleashing a monster on Velen you are also informed that the experimental rats from the tower escaped and caused an outbreak of the Catriona plague in a neighboring land that weakened the populace causing them to be conquered easily by Nilfgaard.

Not only did I manage to let loose a dangerous monster, I also doomed a population to death and disease and then domination by a foreign power.  I've learned a valuable lesson from this though...don't trust monsters...even the ones that seem somewhat innocent.

Gwent--You Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em

Having a three-day weekend is great because it means more The Witcher 3.  Geralt's explorations of Velen have been progressing well and I've managed to find some interesting loot and get killed by alghouls.  After exploring for a sizable chunk of time, I decided it was time for Geralt to enjoy some R&R and play some Gwent.  Gwent is the new dice poker and has proven to be much more challenging.  I've collected some cards, but haven't been able to cobble together more than one deck. I also decided to pursue the quest to play the different known Gwent players across Velen.

Ah, the Gwent menu.  A place to feel false confidence.

My quest to defeat these players has been difficult.  Do I need more cards?  I've been playing every person who I can but I have the impression you can win multiple cards from people.  I defeated the first of the known Gwent players in Velen with relative ease, but spent over an hour losing to the boatmaker in Oreton.  He was a tough opponent because of his variety of hero cards and spies.  I picked up on the strategy to use decoy cards to replace spy cards--this will give you opportunities to draw more cards which seems to be the major adbantage in Gwent.  I finally managed to defeat him, but it was painful.

My biggest challenge is knowing when to surrender a round.  I usually try to give up a round after using a spy to give myself a two card advantage.  This worked well until the boatmaker kept grabbing up my spies with his decoy cards.  A few times I wasn't paying attention and surrendered to lose the match...and felt really dumb.

I am going to keep pursuing Geralt's dream of being a Gwent champion.  My Nilfgaardian deck is coming along nicely and after seeing how the Scoia'tel and Monsters decks have played, I'm interested to play them and learn the strategy.  I'm enjoying the collectible aspect as well as the heightened competition that was missing from playing dice poker.

Hideous Monsters!

(Possible The Witcher 3 spoilers ahead!  Read with caution.)

In The Witcher series you learn pretty quickly that not all the monsters are the ones creeping around with scales or claws.  Humans are just as horrible and can be hiding in plain sight.  I got a good taste of this last night as I unwittingly led Geralt through a series of quests that ended with not so positive conclusions.

In one quest Geralt met a simple fisherman whose wife had disappeared.  The man hoped that Geralt could use his special abilities to track her down and bring her back.  As Geralt is traversing the forest and searching for clues, he rescues a woman from a pack of wolves.  Rather than being grateful she tells Geralt that she will pay him twice what the fisherman is paying to drop the investigation.  This in itself is suspicious--why would she want you to stop the investigation unless she was involved?  So, rather than take her coin, I had Geralt continue his search for clues.  A huge trail of dried blood, a stinking tuft of fur, a severely mangled animal carcass...all things that pointed to a large and unfriendly creature.  Eventually the trail led Geralt to an isolated hut and some further investigation revealed a cave underneath the hut.  As Geralt explored the hut he realized that he was tracking a werewolf and that the best time to attack would be at night.

That werewolf is going to kill me at least 10 times.

It's here that I wish I could brag about my/Geralt's triumph over the werewolf.  Sadly, I probably spent an hour or more trying to kill it.  I would whittle it's health down and try my best to have Geralt avoid attacks, only to see it's health start regenerating very quickly--so quickly that I could no longer manage to effectively avoid attacks and keep lopping off big chunks of health.  I tried a variety of signs--igni didn't seem to do much good, Aard would knock it back a little but not really stop it, Yrden slowed it down enough that avoiding attacks was much easier...I settled on using Quen to help shield from attacks I couldn't avoid and Axii to briefly stun it.  After dying about a dozen times, I managed to get it down to around 25% health and then was greeted with a cutscene.  The lady Geralt had previously rescued didn't want Geralt to kill the werewolf, who in reality was Niellen the fisherman from the beginning of the quest.  She goes on to reveal that she had led the wife to the werewolf's hut as a means to get rid of the poor woman so that she could instead marry Niellen!  Niellen, the now wounded werewolf, makes it clear that he would like to eat this horrible woman.  Geralt is forced to make a moral decision--does he let Niellen eat the scheming woman or does he kill the werewolf?  I decided that killing the werewolf was the better of the two options and then promptly died five more times while trying to cut it down.  I finally managed to kill it and hope to never see another werewolf again (I doubt I will be so lucky).

While pursuing the Bloody Baron's questline I learned that the disappearance of his wife and daughter was much more devious and complicated than it appeared.  Upon meeting the pellar, an odd man who serves as a sort of non-traditional spiritual leader and augur, he offered to provide Geralt with information.  After tracking down his wayward goat, Princess, he performed his auguring ritual and revealed that the Baron's wife, Anna, had a miscarriage after a particularly nasty fight.  According to the pellar, the Baron had a long history of abusing his wife.  Geralt headed off to confront the Baron with this new information.  Upon arriving at the Baron's fortress, Geralt discovers that the stables are on fire.  Players must made a snap decision to enter the stables to save the brother of a guard and the horses or to directly confront the Baron.  Only a jerk would let the guy die!  I rushed Geralt into the stables and Aarded my way through the burning debris to free the man and the horses.  Geralt can then confront the Baron.  In a very emotional discussion the Baron reveals his role in the disappearance of his wife and daughter.  Yes, he beat his wife, but never his daughter.  Anna had miscarried and he had buried the corpse of the unnamed baby near the castle.  Geralt informs the Baron that in order to help find the wife that they will need to lift the curse placed on the unnamed child.  They set off to find the grave where the child is buried.

This is where you meet one of the most disgusting monsters in The Witcher series.  Once Geralt and the Baron reach the gravesite they discover that the baby/monster has freed itself from the grave.  There's an ominous cutscene as the creature crawls into sight--it's a hideous combination of monster and baby.  Here Geralt is forced to make a decision about what happens next--he can perform a ritual that will free the child's spirit from the monster or he can slay the creature and use the blood to find Anna.  The Baron opts for freeing the child's spirit out of guilt so I had Geralt pursue this option.  The next part of the quest functions as as escort as the Baron holds the disgusting, squirming botchling and carries it toward the fortress where he must give it a name and bury it under the threshold.  On the way back to the castle Geralt must fend off groups of wraiths who are attracted by the power of the botchling.  I hate wraiths...they're very slippery and annoying to fight.  Once back at the fortress, the Baron buries names and buries the child and Geralt sends him off so he can wait and complete the second half of the quest which involves following the newly freed spirit of the child, called a lubberkin, which will guide him to Anna.  After following the spirit and looking at all the clues it appears that the wife and daughter were possibly attacked in the middle of their escape.  The spirit eventually leads Geralt to a boatman's hut.  The boatman reveals that he took the daughter, Tamara, to Oxenfurt but that Anna had headed off in some sort of pursuit of the monster that attacked them.

Today I'm hoping to finally track down the Baron's daughter and find out what happened to to the wife...and, in the process, Ciri.  I am liking that these quests have the dark underpinning that is central to The Witcher series.  Humans are the worst....  

Ciri

After my brief interlude to check out the newest episode of Life is Strange, I returned to The Witcher 3. Geralt had helped the poor folk of White Orchard and managed to elude the Wild Hunt.  Now in Vizima, Geralt found himself in the royal palace for an audience with the Nilfgaardian emperor.  Upon meeting the emperor Geralt finds out why he was sought out--the emperor wants him to track down Ciri, his wayward daughter.  Having read the short stories I was very confused.  In the stories Ciri is not the daughter of the Nilfgaardian emperor but is being pursued by them so they can obtain the rights to the kingdom that she should be ruling.  Alright, so for the purposes of the game she can be the daughter of the Nilfgaardian emperor.  He urges Geralt to find her as quickly as he can and return her for a much higher than normal rate.  He dismisses Geralt and tells him to speak to Yennefer who is currently in residence at the palace.

Ciri--not quite a Witcher.

Once Geralt finds Yennefer he is updated on Ciri's possible whereabouts.  Yennefer had been tracking sitings of Ciri and presents Geralt with a few options.  Besides just getting down to business, Yen and Geralt have a few moments to discuss the status of their relationship.  There's an uncomfortable exchange as Yennefer mentions that Triss Merigold is one of the people she has been working with in her efforts to find Ciri.  Gerlalt and Triss could have a close relationship (if players went that route) in the previous games so Yennefer bringing Triss up is quite awkward.  Geralt tries to remind her that he lost his memory, but she doesn't seem willing to accept this fact.  With the major discussion over, Yennefer opens a portal and exits leaving Geralt to set out on his quest to find Ciri.  Players then have the option of having Geralt speak to a scholar about the course of the war or to simply set out.  I opted to talk to the scholar and felt like the information he provided painted a picture of the war-torn Northern Kingdoms.

Geralt then headed out to the land of Velen where Ciri had been spotted.  Once there he was told to meet a man named Hendrik who had information about Ciri's location.  You have to do quite a bit of riding, but eventually you track Henrik down to a village that is covered in a thin layer of snow.  After saving a man from attack by a pack of rabid dogs, he informs Geralt that the Wild Hunt had attacked the village and killed everyone including Henrik.  Geralt heads to Henrik's house to search for clues and  after using his witcher senses manages to track down a log book kept by Henrik that details sightings of Ciri near Velen.  Geralt is then given two options--speak to a local self-made noble known as the Bloody Baron who was rumored to have some interaction with Ciri or locate a witch who supposedly saved her.

I opted to go for the Baron since he was closer and I was in need of some repairs and a merchant.  Once at the small fortress held by the Baron and his militia, Geralt questions the man about his interaction with Ciri.  It's here that players get their first taste of playing as Ciri.  Ciri, who is not a fully trained witcher, does not possess the ability to use witcher's signs.  She is, however, a very agile swordsman (woman) who can dodge attacks with ease.  Ciri appears to be fleeing from something and meets a small girl who is hiding from an attack by a large pack of wolves.  After you've cleared out the wolves, the girl informs Ciri that she's hiding from a "wolf king."  Ciri offers to take the girl back to her village and to protect her from any further attacks.  On the way she discovers a badly mangled corpse and uses the knowledge she gained as a witcher to deduce that the "wolf king" is actually a werewolf.  She sets out to craft some blade oil to protect against the werewolf and then follows the girl into a cave.  Once inside the cave she discovers the werewolf about to kill a villager.  She manages to kill the werewolf and the villager offers to take both Ciri and the girl to see the Baron.  Players watch a brief cinematic that shows Ciri and Gretka (the girl), enjoying the hospitality of the Baron.  He offers to let them stay at the fortress and rest.

It's here that the story cuts back to Geralt who learns that shortly after this Ciri left the castle.  The Baron is unwilling to provide any further information unless Geralt finds the whereabouts of his wife and daughter who are currently missing.  Of course it wouldn't be this easy!

Life is Strange Episode 3 Re-Cap and Thoughts

(Major Life is Strange spoilers!  Don't read ahead if you haven't completed episode three yet!)

Re-Cap
I decided to take a break from witchering (a word I just made up) and to check out the newest episode of Life is Strange.  A brief recap of episode two--Max and Chloe's friendship really seemed to be repairing itself and there were a lot of warm, squishy feelings.  Chloe found out about Max's superpowers and much of the episode was about Max flexing these powers.  The big event in episode two concerned Kate Marsh, a fellow student at Blackwell Academy, who was being relentlessly bullied by the resident mean girls.  The Kate saga culminated with her near suicide (or suicide if you failed to talk her down) and rescue by Max who managed to stop time despite having almost used up her quota of superpowers while messing around with Chloe.  The very end of the episode sees Max in the principal's office and making a choice about who to accuse in relation to Kate's issues--Nathan Prescott, the rich kid, or David Madsen, Chloe's "step-prick," who Max has witnessed harassing Kate (I went with David Madsen).  Then you see Warren and Max hanging out on the lawn as more weird stuff happens--an unscheduled solar eclipse.

Episode three picks up directly after these events with Max in her dorm room.  She's clearly tired and shaken after the day's events but Chloe is texting her to ask her to sneak out of the dorm to investigate clues related to both Rachel Amber and Kate.  Max has to sneak through the darkened dorms and meet Chloe in front of the main building, but not before doing some more snooping in Victoria's room to look for clues related to Kate.  After exploring Victoria's room, Max sneaks out of the dorm and has to navigate the dark campus to find Chloe.  On the trek she is forced to use her powers to sneak past a very drunk Principal Wells who is hanging out on the front porch of a building near the dorms.

Max and Chloe sneaking through the school.

Max manages to sneak to the front of the school building and is surprised by Chloe who is lurking in the shadows.  Chloe reveals that she has swiped the spare keys to the school from David and that they can investigate the entire building.  They make their way to the front only to stumble across Mr. Jefferson (Max's photography teacher) and Victoria coming out of the building.  Max and Chloe hide behind a display and spy on the conversation between the two of them.  Victoria is being her normal, despicable self and trying to force Jefferson to pick her photograph for a contest.  They finally clear out and Max and Chloe enter the school building.  Once they're inside they head directly for the principal's office to search for clues.  Chloe quickly discovers that she doesn't have a key for the principal's office and sends Max to search for a key while she uses her "skills" to try to pick the lock.  The brief search of the office reveals that there is no key for the principal's office.  Max decides to ask Warren for advice about building a bomb to blow up the lock.  Warren texts her back instructions for how to build a small bomb and she sets off to explore the school to track down the materials while Chloe continues her attempts to pick the lock.

In her explorations of the school, Max tracks down the materials for the bomb and heads back to the principal's office.  Once there she fits the small bomb onto the door and she and Chloe take cover and wait for the results.  The bomb explodes and the door opens....but it also sets off the fire alarm.  This is the perfect time for Max to use her rewind powers so she heads into the office and then rewinds.  You hear Chloe swearing at the lock and then Max opens the door--ta-da!  Max and Chloe set off to investigate the files in the office for clues.  A cursory investigation reveals that Nathan Prescott has a spotless file despite the fact that he's a known trouble-maker and drug dealer.  Chloe looks through the files on the principal's computer and finds that much of the information about Nathan has been covered up or doctored to make him look like a stellar student.  Max finds files about both Rachel Amber and Kate Marsh and takes the information.  Chloe starts digging through the drawers of the principal's desk and finds an envelope labelled "handicapped fund" that contains five thousand dollars.  At this point players are faced with a decision about whether Chloe should take the money.  She wants to use it to pay off Frank, the drug dealer who threatened her and Max in episode two.  I opted to have Chloe leave the money--it seemed like if they got caught that stealing five thousand dollars would be a much bigger problem than breaking into the office.

Max and Chloe make their way out of the building and decide where to head next.  Chloe isn't content with simply heading home but decides that since she has the keys to the whole school that they should break into the pool for a swim.  Max does some exploring and manages to find the controls for the pool lights and turns them on.  Both girls hop into the pool and there is a nice bonding moment as Max and Chloe reflect on their friendship.  Eventually they decide they've had enough swimming and they decide to head home.  As they're preparing to walk out of the pool building a light shines through the window of the door.  There's a security guard in front of the building and he's coming inside!  Max and Chloe both hide and players have to figure out the best way to avoid the guard.  After they've left the pool building they head for Chloe's truck in the parking lot with the security guard hot at their heels.  They speed off, heading to Chloe's house.

The next morning there is a nice reflective moment as Max wakes up at Chloe's house and remembers all the time she's spent with her friend and her family.  Max realizes that her clothes still smell like chlorine from the night before and Chloe encourages her to dress in an outfit that was left by Rachel Amber.  Max heads downstairs to have a nice breakfast prepared by Joyce.  Players can spend a little time exploring the house and yard.  In the yard you discover a bunch of dead birds--what the heck is going on?  Once you return inside you eat breakfast and have a friendly discussion with Joyce, Chloe's mom.  It gets sad as she shows Max an old photo album from when she and Chloe were kids and William, Chloe's dad, was still alive.  Chloe finally arrives at the table and whispers that Max should go explore the garage and try to break into David's files to find more clues about the disappearance of Rachel Amber and his involvement with Kate Marsh.  After going through a sequence of guessing passwords and rewinding, Max manages to get into David's computer.  The files on the computer reveal that he was definitely following and gathering information on both girls.  The information on Rachel Amber reveals that she was spending a lot of time with Frank, the drug dealer guy who keeps threatening Chloe.  Max leaves the garage and re-enters the living room to find Joyce and Chloe sitting silently.  The front door opens and David enters the house.  He's angry because he had been up all night investigating the break-in at the school.  Max and Chloe decide to confront David about the information that they've collected and there's a big confrontation in which players are forced to decide whether they side with David or not.

As Chloe is angrily driving through Arcadia Bay, she and Chloe notice Frank's RV in the parking lot of the Two Whale's diner.  Chloe decides that they should break into his RV to look for more evidence related to Rachel Amber.  Chloe formulates a plan for Max to get Frank to give her the keys to the RV and then she will rewind time with the keys.  It's genius!  The plan is not as easy as it sounds and involves a lot of discussion with different characters and much rewinding.  After Max has gotten enough satisfactory information she can use this information to get Frank to take the keys out of his pocket where she can then swipe them.  Once the keys are in her possession, she can rewind and meet Chloe in the parking lot.  They enter Frank's RV and start looking for information.  Max discovers a sort of diary hidden in a vent.  The information within the diary reveals that Rachel and Frank were much closer than Chloe thought and were involved in some sort of relationship.  Max take the diary to Chloe and shares this information.  Chloe becomes very upset and decides to take Max back to school--there's an uncomfortable discussion in the car where Chloe blames everyone for her problems and is inconsolable.

Back at school, Max returns to her dorm room and looks at a photograph that Joyce gave her.  The photograph is of her and Chloe when they were younger.  It was taken on the day that Chloe's dad was killed and Max remembers many of the events that happened that day.  Then, something weird starts happening with the photo--almost like it's moving.  Max focuses on the picture and then she is transported back to the exact time of the photo.  She's 10 years-old and hanging out in Chloe's house.  Chloe's dad is still alive and Max realizes that shes has been transported back and has the ability to prevent him from being killed.  The phone rings and it's Joyce asking him to come pick her up at the diner.  Max starts looking for his car keys so she can hide them and prevent him from driving...and getting into the accident that kills him.  Her efforts to hide the keys are foiled by a beeper that he has attached to the keys.  Max has to hid them somewhere where he can't hear them.  She chucks them out the door into the yard.  William finally gives up on finding the keys and Max convinces him to take the bus to get Joyce.  She just saved him!  Players are then greeted with a montage of family photos--those of the current world, like from William's funeral, burn away and are replaced with happier photographs of the family.  It appears that Max has completely changed Chloe's life and has been able to keep the family intact.

Max is jolted awake and is now back at school.  Oddly enough she's hanging out with Victoria and her group.  The discussion in the group seems to indicate that Max is one of the Vortex Club in-crowd.  Max scrambles away stunned and hops on a bus to head to Chloe's house. On the way she is greeted by a strange scene--whales have beached themselves and are dead.  At Chloe's house, Max rings the doorbell an anxiously waits to see her friend.  Chloe's dad opens the door and calls for Chloe.  You expect to see a happy, non-blue haired Chloe bounding to the door but instead see Chloe bound to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic.

Thoughts
I felt like episode three had very slow pacing.  The preview led me to believe that this episode was going to be much more action-packed.  The parts I found most tedious were those that involved the most rewinding--at the diner you have to talk to the same people multiple times in order to gain the insight needed to get Frank to put the keys to the RV on the table.  The story seemed pretty flat until the cliffhanger right at the end.

The story did manage to keep me somewhat hooked but I feel that my focus has shifted away from what happened to Rachel Amber to what is happening with Max's powers.  The ending of this episode implied that Max's powers have allowed her to alter events to the point that in this new world things are completely different.  She's one of the cool kids who she spends so much time despising!  The big question that I'm sure everyone is wondering is what happened to Chloe?  Why is she now in a wheelchair?  It has become apparent that Max's powers aren't an easy solution to all the bad things that are going on.

Even though I felt like this episode was pretty slow the ending did manage to spice things up enough that I want to find out what happens next.  Are Max's powers going to destroy Arcadia Bay?  Is Max going to be able to fix Chloe's life?

Griffin Down

(Potential spoilers ahead, read with caution if you haven't played much Witcher 3)

Geralt fights a griffin.

I finished my explorations of the White Orchard area in The Witcher 3 and decided to take a stab at slaying the royal griffin.  In my explorations I found a lot of handy loot--some decent gear upgrades including a plan for a very nice "school of the viper" steel witcher sword.  The griffin fight seemed to serve mostly as a training type of fight as Vesemir accompanied Geralt and helped slay the beast.  At the beginning of the fight he hands Geralt a crossbow which is not a traditional witcher's weapon.  During the fight you can use the crossbow to fire bolts at the griffin as it will periodically take flight and then swoop down to attack you.  If you land a direct hit the monster will come crashing down to earth and you can fight it on the ground again.  Eventually you wound it and it flies off and you are required to use Geralt's witcher's senses to track it down.  After another brief melee Geralt manages to kill the griffin and can claim the reward from the Nilfgaardians.

Once you arrive back at the Nilfgaardian camp you discover that the captain, who I initially thought seemed kind of nice, is actually a jerk.  He demands grain from a peasant and when the grain is labelled as spoiled he has the poor guy whipped.  So maybe the Nilfgaardian's are the bad guys...  You have to make a somewhat rushed decision about whether to take the gold from them.  I desperately wanted to tell this idiot captain "no," but was severely short on cash.

The crafting system is still seriously confusing to me.  I decided to craft some grapeshot bombs so that I could destroy the monster nests located at different points on the map.  I used up two of my bombs and then discovered there were more nests at a different location and I needed some more.  I headed back to the herbalist to buy some calcium equum but discovered that once you've crafted an item that if you meditate and have certain base ingredients in stock that your consumable items will automatically be renewed.  This is kind of interesting, but a big change from the old crafting system that required you to have a supply of materials on hand to make new potions.  I'm still not sure what base materials you need to have to replenish your stocks.  For potions you need to have alcohol sources and I'm sure that oils require oil or tallow...but I'm not sure about bombs.  I meditated and they were refilled...I guess I had the right materials.  So is hoarding materials other than the basic ones that you need a bad idea?  I might have to read up on the crafting system.

After I had slain the griffin and begrudgingly decided to take gold from the Nilfgaardians, I headed back to the inn to meet Vesemir.  Once inside the inn you discover there is a tense situation brewing between the locals, who clearly hate the Nilfgaardians--most with good reason, and the friendly barkeep lady.  Vesemir tells Geralt that it would be best to stay out of it but can't help but intervene when an angry woman starts attacking the innkeeper.  Geralt then comes to his aid as a group of angry locals confront him.  You then get to slice and dice through a large group of them.  Then, the innkeeper throws you out!  Not only do you have to listen to locals spit at you every time you walk by, now the innkeeper who you just saved tells you not to come back.  As you leave the inn and stand in the courtyard a group of Nilfgaardian soldiers ride up.  It looks like the beginning of a bad situation but a mysterious figure, clad in black and white, emerges from the group.  It's Yennefer, who heard about Geralt's presence in the village and decided to check it out.  She tells him that he needs to accompany her to Vizima to meet with the Nilfgaardian emperor.  A cinematic plays that shows Yennefer and Geralt galloping toward Vizima with their Nilfgaardian escort.  Midway through their ride Geralt sees the weird snow that indicates that the Wild Hunt is in the area.  There is a chase sequence that ends when Yennefer casts a spell to destroy a bridge and knocks the riders of the Wild Hunt into a small ravine.

That's where I stopped.  I'm curious to see what the Nilfgaardian emperor really wants.  I remember from previous games that he seemed like an evil dictator who was bent on world domination by the Nilfgaardian empire.  I'm still confused about whether Nilfgaard are the good or bad guys.

On an unrelated note, the third episode of Life is Strange just came out and I will probably segue into playing it tonight.  The third episode looked much more action packed than the previous ones.

I have a three-day weekend to look forward to and plan to spend some quality time trying to figure out the motives of Nilfgaard in The Witcher 3.

More Witcher 3 Impressions

The Water Hag is a new monster to The Witcher 3.

Now that I feel that I have a decent idea about the controls and general interactions in The Witcher 3 I have decided to spend some time exploring.  One feature that has been added is an area map that features these big, blaring question marks that indicate a location of significance.  I have decided to make it my goal to explore all of these locations to find out what's behind the question mark.  Some locations are formerly populated areas that have been overrun by monsters--so far most of these monsters have been relatively low-level and fairly easy to exterminate.  Once you've eliminated the monsters in the area the local populace will happily return.  The perk of clearing out these areas is a nice experience point boost and access to new merchants.  At other locations there are groups of monsters who might be guarding loot.  I killed a new monster called a water hag who had taken up residence in a swamp and was guarding a chest full of loot.  I've also wiped out some drowners (and nearly blown myself up by not paying attention to explosive barrels nearby) and some wolves who were guarding loot.  There are also numerous deserter camps populated with angry humans who will pursue you if you come close.  Wiping out these camps is a good idea as these deserters seem to have hoarded some valuable loot.  I've also found a monster nest but haven't been able to cobble together the ingredients to create a bomb to destroy the nest.

Geralt takes on a noonwraith.

One of the tasks I completed was to help Geralt complete a contract to clear out a mysterious creature from a well close-by.  I have found that the impact of the war stretching across the Northern Kingdoms is often alluded to.  In this contract a man asks Geralt to clear away the well because the water from the river has become too polluted by the corpses floating down it for his family to drink.  His daughter has been sickened by drinking the water and the only other nearby source of water is a well that is being guarded by some sort of angry spirit.  Once you investigate the area you discover the nature of the creature guarding the well.  I am appreciating the investigative quality and the fact that like in the books, Geralt is seeking to break the curses on an area to help clear it of monsters.  Rather than simply slaying the monster Geralt has to figure out what type it is and then puzzle out the method to break the curse.  In the case of the "devil by the well," Geralt discovers that it is a noonwraith--the disembodied spirit of a bride who met a violent end but which is stuck in the physical world because of the attachment of an important object.  The quest involves figuring out what this object might be, finding it, performing the ritual to remove the spirit and then killing the spirit to free it.

My biggest difficulty thus far has been cobbling up enough money to buy certain items I need.  I'm still a little boggled by the dismantling/crafting system.  Every time I pick up a piece of junk I question whether I should be dismantling it or simply selling it.  Generally it's a good idea to keep a semi-large collection of crafting materials but my cash flow problems are concerning.  I've been trying to gauge the value of the items that are dismantled versus the crafting materials that are created.  I would like to craft a grapeshot bomb so that I can take out a monster nest but need some orens to buy some calcium equum.

I haven't been able to craft any upgrades for Geralt but did stumble across some nice items in a couple of the guarded treasure troves.  Geralt is now sporting a Kaedweni jacket that is fairly hideous as well as some new gloves and pants.  After managing to kill a much higher level bear at a place of power, I found a fairly nice sword to upgrade Geralt's current steel sword.

I plan to continue exploring the map to find some new treasures, places of power, or deserters to wipe out.  I also plan on pursuing the main questline and slaying the royal griffin to learn the location of Yennefer.  One major conflict I'm seeing so far is between trying to placate the Nilfgaardian force in the area or staying loyal to the local armies.  The Nilfgaardian commander seems like a decent guy who is genuinely concerned for the villagers in the area.  Most likely the Nilfgaardian's will turn out to be a bunch of murderous jerks, but for now they seem to be decent.

The Witcher 3 is Here!

I guess I was wrong about when The Witcher 3 was coming out.  Last night I was pleasantly surprised when I logged into Steam and saw that after a smallish download that the game would be available for play.  I crammed down a quick meal and then pressed the magical play button.

I didn't get to delve into the game as deeply as I would have liked, but I did get a few initial impressions from my brief stint.  I decided to play the tutorial to see if any of the control schemes have changed and that was a choice that I am somewhat glad I made.  The tutorial consists of playing through a brief sequence at Kaer Morhen that covers the gameplay basics.  I was happy to see that, for the most part, the controls are pretty much the same as they were in previous games and maybe even slightly more simplified--there doesn't appear to be a need to specify what type of sword you want to draw and using bombs and food has become considerably easier then in the previous games.

I thought it was interesting that, like in Mass Effect, players could choose their difficulty level before starting the game and that one of the levels seemed to be strictly story based.  I, of course, did not choose this option but it appears focusing solely on the story in a game must be popular option if it's being offered more widely.  To me this feels like players would miss out on the challenge and fun of combat but I can understand why some might want to leave out the fighting.

Geralt and young Ciri at Kaer Morhen

But back to the tutorial!  The tutorial serves the dual function of introducing players to the basic gameplay controls in the game and also to the central characters.  The game opens with an amazing cinematic that follows the raven haired sorceress, Yennefer of Vengerber, as she weaves her way through the middle of a huge battle.  This cinematic is really amazing and you get a strong sense of the power wielded by this sorceress as you witness her using a spell to avoid being trampled by the charging cavalry in the midst of the battle.  (If you haven't watched this opening cinematic, you should try to check it out on YouTube) It also involves a raven burrowing itself in the face of a soldier and killing him--not for the faint of heart, but still cool.  The cinematic sequence also shows Geralt inspecting clues like he is trying to track her at a later time.  So, Geralt is trying to locate Yennefer.  Key story point revealed.  Then, Geralt is at Kaer Morhen and he and Yennefer are enjoying some quality time together (if you've played a Witcher game you know what I mean).  You learn a few important facts about Yennefer while learning the basic controls--she only wears black and white, is vain as a peacock (all sorceresses are), and she and Geralt are obviously close.  She urges Geralt to go find Ciri in the courtyard for training and players are introduced to the freckled and precocious young girl who is training with the witchers.  It's obvious that Ciri is very skilled and that all of the witchers, even Vesemir the hardened veteran, have grown attached to her.  After completing a tutorial on sword fighting basics Geralt has a strange vision...something related to the Wild Hunt.  Then he wakes up and you realize he is dreaming--that's where the actual gameplay begins.

Upon finishing the tutorial, players are introduced to the much more open world.  Geralt and Vesemir find themselves riding into a village in pursuit of Yennefer.  One interesting new addition to the game is a card game known as Gwent that has replaced dice poker as the new casual tavern distraction.  I played a tutorial game and am still not one hundred percent sure I understand the more complicated aspects of Gwent.  After interrogating the peasants in the tavern about Yennefer's whereabouts and having a fistfight with a few rowdy ones, I ventured Geralt to the local notice board and picked up some information and a contract to kill a monster.

The big change I'm noting is the much more open world in this game.  Locations of importance are placed on the map and some exploring will help you locate important monsters or locations.  Crafting also appears to have changed somewhat.  Throughout the world you will find objects that can be dismantled into useful crafting components.  This is useful as I have managed to amass a number of crafting materials, but I am having serious cash flow issues (I stupidly invested in a bunch of Gwent cards).  It costs money to dismantle an object so save those orens for crafting!

My adventures with Geralt will continue tonight and I'll try to share more impressions tomorrow.  So far I am very impressed with what I have seen and some of the new features like the use of "Witcher Sense" to find objects.  CD Projekt Red has created this amazing, vibrant world to adventure in and I can't wait to keep discovering new quests and monsters.

The Witcher 3--Just One More Day!

I've already done my pre-loading and am anxiously awaiting the release of The Witcher 3 tomorrow.  I know that it was released early in Europe and have been avoiding any information related to the game.  No review or videos of quests or gameplay.  I'm holding out and hoping that this is the best Witcher game yet.  A few hours ago another trailer was released--this one notably featuring Ciri--that also shows a large number of familiar and new characters and creatures.  I especially enjoyed the short clip that shows Ciri training with Geralt at Kaer Mohren.  Check it out:

In the meantime I am still vacillating between Diablo III and Dragon Age:  Origins.  I haven't managed to find anymore mooing mayhem in Diablo despite my best efforts.  My barbarian has had some fairly good luck with blood shards and has managed to piece together a decent ensemble.  I'm contemplating giving it a few more goes in the hope of finding a cow portal--which I'm not even sure really exists.

Oddly, I've been really enjoying my current playthrough of Dragon Age:  Origins.  The only thing I'm not enjoying is my class choice--I've decided I don't like playing an archer.  Mage is alright, but archers seem to have pretty pointless abilities.  I do like that I made my archer a ranger and can summon random animals to fight at my side.  I've always liked the characters, the story, and the locations in Origins.  All the races (with the exception of the Qunari, who get quite a bit of attention in Dragon Age II) are featured and you get a chance to experience the culture and issues of each race.

I'm going to enjoy my current fascination with Origins while I can because once The Witcher 3 comes out it'll be awhile until I return to Ferelden to finish my adventures as an elven archer.

Food in Games

On this week's episode of PBS's "GameShow," Jamin explored how food is used in games.  This seems like a really odd topic, but most games do have some sort of food in them or could be strictly food based.  Here's the episode:

Some of my favorite game food comes from Fallout and Skyrim.  Eating in both those games isn't mandatory, but can help players restore some health.  I like the way that Bethesda maintained the jokey quality present in the early Fallout series.  Nuka-Cola with it's slightly radioactive qualities or Sugar Bombs, a friendly jab at sugar laden breakfast cereal.  One strange aspect that was added into Fallout 3 was the ability to drink from any source of water--including toilets.  Hey, it's the apocalypse...who cares where your water comes from, right?

In Skyrim the food is more appetizing.  A delicious apple or cherry pie or a scrumptious sweet roll seem like great ways to boost your health.  Unfortunately I never got into cooking that much.  Why would I want to lug around a bunch of cooking ingredients when I'm trying to carry five hundred pounds of weapons?  Hmmm...Lydia!  Carry my cabbage, slave!

If it comes to games that are actually about food then I'm going to go with Cook, Serve, Delicious.  All the food in that game looks appetizing...even if it's a pain to prepare (I'm talking to you soup and shish kebabs!).  The game is designed to start you off with low-brow foods like corn dogs and pretzels but allows you to work up to lobster and bananas foster.  I've played Cooking Mama on the Wii and found the food in that game to be a little weird.  Something always looked a little off and that food always seemed like it would be disgusting.

I think the characters in the newest Gauntlet game eat the best food.  Whole turkey legs and mouth-watering hams.  Gauntlet is a game where health and food go directly hand-in-hand and you will be prompted that "elf needs food badly!"

It's natural for games to use food as a reference to health.  To be healthy people need to eat so it only makes sense that characters in a game would also eat to stay healthy.  Or unhealthy as is the case in Grand Theft Auto:  San Andreas.  Food is a central part of the gaming experience and will continue to evolve as games do.

Diablo III Celebrates Third Anniversary with Bovine Wonders

Yup, it's a cow.

It's hard to believe but Diablo III has been around for three years now.  Blizzard has always found a special way to celebrate hallmarks in it's games and Diablo is no exception.  If you're looking for something different in your Diablo experience you might want to check it out between now and May 21st.  Players have a chance to find special treasure goblins that just might open a portal to a world filled with murderous cows.  I have yet to find one but I'm hopeful that I will.  There are also special items with magical bovine powers.  My barbarian picked up a legendary polearm with the power to summon a pack of axe wielding cows to my side.  Now I roam nephalem rifts with my cow posse.

The Witcher 3 Launch Trailer is....wow.

Last night I learned of a recently launched trailer for the upcoming game The Witcher 3.  The trailer is being dubbed the "launch" trailer even though the North American release of the game is another 4 days away.  This new trailer is....freakin' awesome.  I don't say that lightly.  Watch it!  (I wish I could recreate the stupid way I giggled when I watched this.  I'm so excited for this game to come out and this trailer just makes me feel even more antsy for its release)

So it kind of caught me off guard--the intro with the woman singing made me think there was some sort of tragedy going on.  Then, I heard the gravelly voice of Geralt and knew immediately...that's no lady, it's a monster.  What kind of monster though?  The graphics in this video are stunning.  When the woman/monster pulls down her hair...it looks so real.  If the game is anything like this it's going to be amazing.  Geralt also looks so much better than he has in previous games.  I am loving all the little details that they have added--the spurs and the rattling medallion.  If you've read the book you know that the medallion is a really important part of Geralt's attire.  There have been some attempts in the previous games to reference his vibrating medallion, but it's really cool to finally see if fleshed out in this video.

Another little detail that I really liked was Geralt popping a potion and seeing his eyes glow and his blood turn to acid (I can't remember the name of the potion that does this--it's some sort of anti-vampire elixir).  The fight also shows off Geralt's abilities as a witcher--his sword skills as he frantically fights off the monster and then his use of magical skills to shield and then push the monster back.

There's something really sad about Geralt taking out this monster and I think this fact represents a lot of the more difficult decisions that he is forced to make and the whole internal conflict he has about different aspects of his profession and life.  As a witcher it is his destiny to slay monsters...but he doesn't, and often can't bring himself, to slay every monster that he meets.  There are several instances throughout the series of short stories where he actually decided to save or side with the monsters that people expect him to slay.

If you're like me and a big fan of The Witcher series then this trailer is very exciting.  I've already pre-loaded the game and can't wait to start adventuring as Geralt of Rivia.

Back to Origins

I often find myself between games.  This is one of those times!  As a result of this phenomenon I generally peruse my game library and try to find something to do--do I replay something that I have enjoyed in the past or do I try to achieve something new?  I've been halfheartedly leveling up a seasonal hero in Diablo III.  Ragnaar, the boring barbarian, is finally level 70!  Getting to 70 was a bit of a drag, but now that he's there I can look forward to roaming through nephalem rifts and scooping up loot.  That's always a good time.

Beside a little Diablo III action, I have been playing around with my new Pinball FX2 tables and finding the "South Park" table to be the most enjoyable of the four I have recently purchased.  I am finding the sound effect and voices from the show to be a really fun addition.  Alas, I can only play so much pinball before I start to lose focus and want to smash things.

An elf archer.  Probably way cooler than mine.

So my neurotic gaming choices have brought me back around to Dragon Age:  Origins.  I had started a new character in like September with a completely unrealistic goal of playing through the first two games prior to Inquisition coming out.  It didn't work out and I found that I was bored after the first origin quest.  My poor elf archer has been sitting in limbo since I started him.  Last night I decided I would give him another go and see if I would immediately get bored again.  Amazingly, I didn't.  I did, however, discover that the mage tower quests that you have to solo aren't very fun as an archer.  My archer had to do a lot of melee...a lot of ugly melee because I hadn't taken any melee talents.  It was actually kind of fun though.  I think I'll keep playing Origins for the moment.

I mean, I'll play it until The Witcher 3 comes out in 5 days!  Five days!

Grabbed Some New Pinball Tables

I went on a bit of a spending spree last night and decided to pick up a few of the newer tables for Pinball FX2.  Buying tables for has become a little bit like Pokemon for me...gotta catch 'em all.  I would rather not think about how much I've spent on tables.

So I grabbed the two new Zen tables--"Wild West Rampage" and "Castle Storm."  "Wild West Rampage" is a classic Western themed table.  The story, as far as I can tell from reading the intro and a little time playing it, is that a lady cowboy named Cindy is trying to oust the crooked sheriff and his thugs from a town.  There are some interesting features on this table including lots of targets to hit.  At one point the sheriff starts tossing dynamite and you have to hit it before it hits poor Cindy.  If you're into Western themed stuff, this table is definitely for you.

"Castle Storm" is a sort of semi-serious knights on a quest/goofy medieval type of table.  There is a dragon and a big castle to storm (as the table title implies).  When you shoot a central hole on the table the ball moves to a smaller playing field with drop targets representing knights that are guarding a castle.  Your goal is to take out these targets and directly hitting the castle to "storm" it.  I've found that the transfer from the larger table to the smaller one happens pretty fast so you have to be really quick on the uptake or you'll miss it.  It seems like a fun little table.

I also decided to grab the South Park pack that comes with two tables.  One is a general South Park table and the other follows Butters...of all characters.  The South Park table is great if you're a fan of the show.  There are all the voices and characters that you know and it will make you laugh.  The play revolves around major events from the show--you light up all the Stan targets and have to help him kiss Wendy without throwing up by hitting a certain lane.  It's got all the quirky charm of the show.  The Butters table is based around all the weird things Butters does.  The goal of this table is to complete missions with Butters--one mission has you rescuing the "Meheecan's" by shooting lit lanes and another has you chasing off tourists in Hawaii.  I'm liking the South Park tables more than the "Wild West"/"Castle Storm" ones.

There are only six more days until The Witcher 3.  Pre-Loading is available if you're looking to get a jump on getting ready to play.  I was a little surprised when the download only came in at 21 GB.  That seems small to me.  Here's to hoping it's as epic as promised.

Should Schools Adopt E-Sports?

I really like the question from this past episode of PBS's "GameShow."  As someone who works in education, has experience with athletics and gaming, I feel like I can think critically about the reality of making e-Sports into an actual competitive part of the high school or college experience.  Jamin addressed this perplexing question in an episode of "GameShow" from October of 2014.  Here is the video:

The video specifically addresses League of Legends, but I think the question could be asked of any game that could be played competitively and especially games that are more co-operative in nature.  I think the idea of having competitive gaming become a sponsored school activity (whether it's at the high school or college level) sounds like a really great idea.  I think a lot of students who don't necessarily have an avenue to display their talents (they aren't into athletics or other activities) would benefit from a chance to have some sort of organized gaming competition.  It could be treated similarly to athletics with the same requirements for participation and could have designated competitions.  I think any opportunity for students to get involved, whether it's sports or could be something like gaming, has a positive impact on the lives of those kids.

Jamin pointed out the issue that many people have with labeling competitive gaming as a "sport."  Let's just call it competitive gaming and drop the "sports" designation.  I think competitive gaming is very similar to sports in the amount of dedication it takes to truly master a game...especially one that is team based.  If you don't practice working together you will have a really tough time when it comes time to perform.  I know many people scoff at "professional gaming," but it's serious business.  You don't get that good by screwing around for a few hours every night.

I think it would be really cool if competitive gaming was incorporated into schools.  There would most likely be a host of logistical issues, but just the concept is intriguing.

I Picked a Boring Class.

After finishing Grand Theft Auto V I've been bouncing back and forth between a sense of nostalgia that has me wanting to re-play some games that I haven't played in a long time and wanting to make progress in a current game.  My sense of forward progress finally won out and I returned to the seasonal hero I had rolled, played to about level 50, and then wantonly neglected so I could play GTA V.  I had lofty goals for my first seasonal hero--I envisioned racing to level 70 and then raking in the legendaries.

Barbarian.  Looks cool....but I'm bored.

My class choice has turned into somewhat of an obstacle.  I settled on a barbarian because I hadn't played one in a long time.  My barbarian is turning out to be somewhat of a bore.  I don't know if I've just picked crappy abilities or have crappy gear, but he feels kind of gimpy.  He's currently sitting around level 63 and I'm finding a real lack of motivation to keep going with him.  I will persevere and get him to level 70....and then hopefully get enough gear that he stops feeling so pitiful.

If I make another seasonal hero I'm definitely picking a more exciting class.  A wizard?  Maybe a witch doctor.

On a happier note...8 more days until The Witcher 3!  I've read that some retailers in Europe are selling it earlier than in the U.S.  I hope all the people there are enjoying it.  I'm jealous.

Re-Living the Magic of Portal

Having recently finished my romp through Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V, I was looking for something fun to do.  The news of the new Portal themed table for Pinball FX2 made me feel nostalgic for some puzzles and mockery from a computer.  I decided to fire up classic Portal and see if I could find more of the magic.

One thing I didn't realize about Portal is how short it really is.  It only took me a couple of hours to finish.  I remember it taking much longer...but it probably did because I was figuring out the puzzles for the first time.  I also realized how much Portal feels like a Half-Life 2 mod.  Did it start out that way?  I really don't remember.

As I was playing I did realize that there are still a lot of things about Portal that are really cool.  The whole aspect of mind-bending physics puzzles and flinging yourself through the air is still unique and fun.  I've always enjoyed GLaDOS and the dialogue of mockery that is present throughout the game.  Something I noticed that for some strange reason I hadn't noticed before was the number of little nooks and crannies that indicated that other test subjects had tried to escape.  I had never noticed that in each one there were water and cans of beans like someone had been living there.

Even after five years, Portal is still a delight to play.  I know the cake is a lie, but killing GLaDOS is enjoyable.  I'm contemplating a run at Portal 2 later.

9 more days until The Witcher 3 action!

World of Warcraft Drops Three Million Subscribers

One of the big headlines this week that caught my eye had to do with the recent announcement that World of Warcraft has lost 3 million subscribers since the release of the latest expansion "Warlords of Draenor."  3 million subscriptions may sound like a lot, but even with this hit WoW still commands an impressive 7 million players.  7 million people are playing a game that is ten years old!  So while this news of WoW casting off players might have an "the end is nigh" feeling, it's really not the end.  Millions of people are continuing to play WoW despite it's age.  This fact is extremely impressive.

My own experiences with WoW are probably similar to some of the 3 million players who quit.  I played WoW  religiously for years, but would usually find myself losing interest.  I would cancel my subscription and tell myself this was it for WoW.  Then some new expansion would be announced, I would renew my subscription, fall in love for awhile and then eventually get bored again.  WoW isn't a boring game...it just seems to have cycles that hit it at certain points in the year.  When people are trapped inside during the winter months they are content to pour their hours into the game.  Typically when the weather gets better people lose interest.  It's a seasonal thing I've always noticed about WoW.

I can't help but to be impressed at the fact that WoW has been around for ten years.  Blizzard are masters at making a game that can get stale into something new and exciting.  Each new expansions slaps a shiny, new coat of paint on a classic.  New classes, new races, new zones, new raids, new features--but underneath it's still the same thing.  I think for a lot of players this just isn't enough any more.  I wonder about how much longer WoW will be around.  Five more years?  Ten?  I think the next move will be to go free-to-play...but we'll see.

Grand Theft Auto V Story Winding Down

(Spoilers ahead about Grand Theft Auto V)

I feel like I'm close to the end of Grand Theft Auto V.  My menagerie of misfits has just pulled off an extremely huge heist that netted them a combined $200 million payoff.  The Union Depository job was one that I managed to pull off despite some mistakes.  For this job I opted for a more confrontational approach rather than the typical "subtle" approach.  As a result of this choice I was faced with a fierce gun battle between various law enforcement officials and Merryweather Security forces.  I frantically tried to navigate Franklin and Michael through the gauntlet of angry police officers and helicopters to the location of the getaway vehicle in the parking garage.

The getaway vehicle almost turned into a total fiasco.  I had taken it to Los Santos Customs and souped it up but had forgotten one key feature....bulletproof tires.  While locked down in the middle of an intense gun battle in the basement of the parking garage, I switched from Franklin to Michael and was dismayed to find that Michael was taking cover behind said vehicle.  I watched helplessly as bullets pinged off the beautiful SUV I stole from a parking lot and then lovingly fitted with armor and turbo chargers.  Then I heard that sound I was dreading...the pop and hiss of a tire being shot out.  So now my getaway car had a flat tire and I had a five star wanted level.

At this point my getaway was looking questionable at best.  My three-wheeled SUV comfortably sat all three robbers, but was extremely sketchy on sharp turns.  After a few failed turns, I decided to settle on a straight getaway path.  I maneuvered my damaged Canis Seminole into an alley and hoped for the best.  The seconds ticked by as I watched the flashing dots patrolling the main roads.  Don't turn down the alley....but there's always that one stupid cop who does, so it was off to the races again.

It's here that I made a choice that could have turned out ver poorly.  I steered my SUV up a hill toward a giant outdoor amphitheater.  This venue only had one way in and out so if the police caught up my escape could be pretty hairy.  I drove up the road and reached the end...but rather than stopping I decided to keep going and park directly in front of the stage--not technically in an alley, but also not right on a road.  I watched again as the police searched the mains roads leading up to the amphitheater.  Fortunately, the police have higher standards and wouldn't drive right through the middle of a major venue.  Five star wanted level evaded.

Now all my characters are $28 million richer.  I have a feeling things aren't going to work out well.  Here are the scenarios I'd like to see:

--Michael and his family work through their issues and are happy.  Michael starts working for Solomon Richards at the studio and eventually takes over.

--Franklin and Tenesha re-unite. Franklin gets out of the crime game and lives a normal life off his share of the cut.

--Trevor kills Medrazo and rescues Patricia.  Even though I think the Trevor/Patricia thing is kind of weird, it's also kind of cute.  Trevor would continue to be pursued by Mexican gangsters, but he is happy that way.  He spends his cut ferrying Patricia around from place to place as they evade those angry gangsters.

Here's what I think will actually happen:

--Franklin has been told by the FIB that he needs to "take care of" Trevor.  I think Franklin will go to do this, but will be stopped by Michael.  I think Michael and Trevor will fight, but that they will reconcile and eventually go off on their own ways.

--more likely they will all end up killing each other.

Of all the characters, I want things to work out for Franklin the most.  He's the uoungest and seems like a decent guy.

I will soon get to see how it all ends and if any of my predictions are true.  I've really enjoyed this GTA game and have felt very entertained.  The story has been fun and quirky in just the right GTA style.

Can Your Avatar's Race Affect Your Behavior?

Jamin asked an interesting question in this week's episode of the PBS series "GameShow."  Does the race of your avatar in a video game affect your behavior?  My immediate answer is no, but I know that this is a very surface type of answer.  Watch the episode and see Jamin's explanation:

I liked that he brought up the game Rust and the seemingly odd decision to assign player race.  This decision seems to have angered some people...who apparently can't stand the idea of simply playing a character who isn't exactly like them.  But maybe I'm just like those people....I can't say that I've ever actively worked to create a character who is a different race than me.  I've played a racially ambiguous Commander Shepard but haven't ever created a black character.  I've played black characters...like CJ from Grand Theft Auto:  San Andreas but I haven't used a character creation tool to actually make one.  Does that mean I'm racist?

But back to behavior...I think that on a subconscious level that race does affect behavior in games.  Unfortunately I feel like people have stereotypical ideas about how members of other races behave and that those behaviors set the stage for in-game behavior.  I think this is true for more than just skin color though and thought that the part of the video that dealt with player perception of their avatar's appearance (like the study about having an overweight avatar) was really interesting.  I find this to be completely true.  If I make a Sims character who's a little on the beefy I'm more likely to let them indulge on some birthday cake.  So I'd have to agree....yes, I do think avatar race, physical appearance, or any number of other factors can affect the way players choose to control them.

It's my goal to make my next Dragon Age character another race.  Then I can truly see if race has an impact on the way I play him/her.