The "Papers, Please" Short Film is Here!

I was a little stumped about what I should write this week.  I'm still happily stabbing things in Kingdoms of Amalur:  Reckoning and it has been my sole focus.  Then, this morning, I saw a post about the Papers, Please short film and the fact that it was now completed and available for viewing.  So I watched it and it's actually good!  Here it is for your viewing pleasure:

I absolutely adore Papers, Please.  It's one of those weird games that manages to be unique and quirky while still having depth.  On the surface it appears to be a game about attention to details--how good are you at catching all the small ways that something is wrong?  Beneath that layer of attention is another, deeper layer of moral ambiguity.  The role of the document inspector isn't as simple as just stamping "approved" or "denied" on a passport.  Your character has a family to support and every day you feel the pressure of trying to make as much money as possible so that you can pay for rent, food, and heat so that your family has the basics.  But what do you do when a mother comes to your station begging to be let in so she can see her children?  Her papers are expired and she should be denied...but her story tugs at your heartstrings and you let her in anyway--you get a warning that more mistakes will result a fine taken out of your pay.  But do you let the next sob story into the country at the cost of losing money that you desperately need?  It's a moral battle.

What I enjoyed about the short film is how it captures some of that internal conflict.  They focus on one of the moral choices that I always let slide--the story of Elisa and Sergiu.  Sergiu comes to you and asks that you make sure that his girlfriend Elisa is allowed to enter into the country.   He gives you a locket with her picture so you can be sure of who she is.  When Elisa does show up, there's always a problem with her papers.  I always let her in--even if it means I'm going to get a fine.  The sad part is that usually on that same day a terrorist attack happens.  If you're too slow, Sergiu will be killed by the attack.  I think I've managed to save him once.

The film also captures some of the negative consequences that can occur from your good will.  Sometimes those emotional pleas to be let into Arstotzka are nothing but a cover for those who are planning to do evil.  The film ends on a dark note with a terrorist attack and the demise of the inspector.

Papers, Please is a great game and this short film has managed to capture the essence of document inspecting.  It's only 10 minutes long, so give it a whirl.  What do you think?

Click, click, click--Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

The sad news is that I gave up on my "rough" colony in RimWorld.  The chore of trying to build the ship just seemed too great.  Plus, I got bored.  It happens.  I decided that I would move on to something that wasn't management oriented--a big, fat RPG.  Kingdoms of Amalur:  Reckoning is an interesting RPG that seems to have been developed with console players in mind.  It's not the best RPG that I've ever played, but it always seems to have a way of sucking me in and making me want to keep playing.

If you're in the market for a new RPG that could devour 100+ hours of your life, KoA:R could be perfect for you.  One of the particularly attractive features is the price--you can usually get the base game and all the DLC for a super-low price (right now, as part of the Steam Lunar New Year Sale, you can get it all for just $9.99).  Don't let that low-price fool you; you're definitely getting your money's worth.  Part of that low price has to do with the fact that the studio that made the game went bankrupt several years ago and no longer exists.  Sadly, that means no sequels.

Here's what you need to know about Kingdoms of Amalur:  Reckoning:
Pros:
--Big, beautiful world.  I wouldn't necessarily call it open-world, but it's still big.  The aesthetics of the zones vary from heavy forests to rocky, arid deserts.

--Loads of lore.  There's an entire complicated story of the world and the characters that fill it.  The Fae are immortal, magical beings who have a special natural/magical affinity.  The world is also populated by numerous different races--many of which are pretty standard fantasy RPG-fare (elf-like races, gnomes, humans...you know the rest).  One feature that I enjoy are the many lorestones located throughout the game.  If you interact with these stones a short story is told that is tied to a specific part of the game (it could be specific to a certain zone or to one of the races).  Finding and listening to all the lorestones that belong to a set gives you a bonus to certain stats.  The stones are a unique way to let players interact with lore.  They are much better than reading data logs, books, scrolls, or any of the other standard lore-based objects that are inserted into games.

My current rogue.  She slices and dices .

--Class and playstyle choices.  Players can choose from one of three class--warrior, rogue, or mage.  Even though these choices seem pretty bland there is still much leeway in exactly how you want to play your character.  There's an entire system of talent points that is wide open.  You can make your character stay purely focused on one class system or you can branch out.  Want to play a warrior who can also sling spells?  Hybrid classes are completely possible.  Even if you decide to stick to a specific class you still have some flexibility on how you want to play--rogues can choose to wield faeblades (sort of like a glaive), daggers, or a bow.

--Comprehensive RPG elements.  There are experience points, levelling, talent points, crafting systems...all the good stuff that you want to find in an RPG.

--Easy to learn combat system and combo system.  By utilizing specific talents you can unlock combo attacks that are performed by a series of timed clicks.  It's very basic, but it's easy to pick up.  The combat is highly stylized and it's fun to watch your character perform a choreographed series of twists, turns, and deadly flourishes.

--Reckoning system.  As part of the story your character can control fate.  Performing the aforementioned combos and killing enemies fills up your "fate meter."  Once it's completely full you can enter "reckoning" mode and unload on large packs of (or just large) enemies.  This unique mode allows you to perform a really cool finishing move that includes a QTE-like rapid clicking option that can vastly increase the amount of XP you receive from killing enemies.

--Humor sprinkled throughout the game.  It's always nice when fantasy games don't get too heavy handed and try to incorporate less serious options.  I currently have a quest in my log to find a bunch of dirty books for a weird  monk.

--Choice of factions to join.  You can opt to have your character join one of several factions.  Each faction features it's own questline and unique rewards and opportunities.

--Highly replayable.  I'm on my second playthrough and am enjoying making new choices.  You could definitely playthrough the game several times before eliminating all the choices/options that are available.

Cons:
--Facial animation can appear weirdly stiff at times.

--Combat is simple, and some might think it's too simple.  It was clearly designed for controllers.  This could be a turn off for players who want more challenge and aren't into "click" combat.

--At times the controls can feel unresponsive.  If you're in the middle of a series of choreographed attacks and need to suddenly dodge away, it is often impossible.  This can be frustrating and leads to taking unnecessary damage.

--Inventory management can be a bit of a pain.  You can carry quite a bit of stuff (much of it crafting materials) but figuring out what is taking up an inventory slot can be confusing.  Once you unlock a stash for your gear it gets slightly easier.

I would recommend Kingdoms of Amalur:  Reckoning.  It's a decent RPG for a really low price and offers something for different types of gamers.  People who like RPG's will like the systems within the game--people who like action games will like the stylized combat--lore nerds will like the stories and lore systems.

Out of the Frying Pan...

My current RimWorld colony.  Fingers crossed that they make it.

Well, I finally got tired of playing through Borderlands.  I made it to the end of the second game and then realized that I had absolutely no desire to continue playing through the multitude of DLC and then trying to slog through The Pre-Sequel (which I consider to be the weakest game in the series).  Instead, I decided that I would attempt to accomplish my RimWorld  goal of finishing one game on permadeath mode.  As a point of reference, I've attempted permadeath many, many times and have always failed abysmally.  This last round was no exception.

It's always kind of weird that the demise of my permadeath colonies usually comes at a time when I'm feeling pretty good about how things are progressing.  My colonists were settling into their new home, I had managed to replace the flammable wooden walls with stone and fortify my base, my freezer/pantry was well stocked in preparation for winter, and two of my colonists had even recently gotten married (I love it when this happens--the mood boost from marriage is great).  I had been playing this colony for about 6-8 hours--possibly the longest that I've managed in permadeath.

Through my numerous failures on permadeath mode, I've learned that being extremely cautious is the best strategy.  Don't take any unnecessary risks if you don't have to!  Every time any sort of dangerous situation popped up--packs of maneating animals, for example--I promptly garrisoned my colonists inside of the base with the doors locked.  Sure, your colonists have to spend a few boring days locked up, but it's better than getting bitten to death by a pack of maneating bears.

Sadly, the demise of my colony came at the hands...err, mouths...of a pack of maneaters.  One of my colonists just happened to be hunting a hare in the corner of the map...the exact corner where the maneaters entered the picture.  The notification popped up and I quickly took account of the positions of my people.  Three of them were safely tucked into bed...but where the heck was number four?  I started scrolling the map to find him and realized that he had ran almost all the way back to my base.  The pack of maneating huskies had taken him down relatively close to the front door of my base.  I decided that since it was just three huskies that I could probably take them down with my remaining colonists and rescue the poor idiot who had been taken down.

I activated my colonists and positioned them behind some sandbags so they could take aim at the marauding canines.  Just for future reference, three colonists are no match for three maddened huskies.  I could only cringe as my colonists managed to take out two of the huskies and then watched as the last husky and last colonist went down at almost the same time.  I decided to wait until the bitter end and was shocked when one of my colonists managed to get up!  Maybe they could survive this calamity....  I quickly had the original wounded colonist lug all the other colonists into the base.  This was a mistake and I should have instructed him to focus on the colonist with the highest level of medical knowledge and treated them first.  Instead, the rest of them bled to death while he carried them all into the base.  Then, he bled to death himself.  It was tragic and stupid.  I kicked myself for not leaving the original colonist outside to his own fate--maybe he would have recovered and managed to evade the huskies?  Most likely he would have died, but the rest of my colony would have been fine.  My desire to save everyone is what doomed this colony.

I've decided to give permadeath a rest for now and to instead focus on playing at a higher difficulty level.  I'm not sure I have ever finished a game at "rough" difficulty.  I'm currently giving it a go and am having some success.

One thing I love about RimWorld is its ability to create scenarios that are so different from each other.  Your ultimate goal is the same--to escape the planet--but how you get there is completely different every time.  This keeps the game fresh and makes it a ton of fun.  As RimWorld creeps closer to its full release, I am finding that I can still be completely immersed in this weird, management/survival sim.

UPDATE:  2/11/18
I spent a lot of time this weekend nursing my "rough" colony along and have reached the point where I'm preparing to build my ship and try to escape.  This is the point in the game where I always have a difficult time and the "rough" setting seems to make it even worse.  Normally, there's a ton of research to be done to even get to the point where you are ready to start laying down the framework for your ship.  I usually try to have the rest of my colonists working to stockpile materials so the ship can be built quickly after the research is done.  I did this, but I've discovered that building the ship is much more complicated than on the lower settings.  Each ship part requires rare materials and a ton of components (or, even worse, advanced components).  I've managed to find some gold, enough for my building needs, but uranium has been a real pain in the buttocks.  I've scraped together a measly 27...enough to build maybe 1 cryptosleep casket.

I don't know if I'm going to have the patience to see this thing through to the end.  This part of the game is the one part that I hate--I always enjoy the early part.

The Best Borderlands

Borderlands 2 features Handsome Jack, the villainous head of Hyperion
Corporation.  Maya, Salvador, Zer0, and Axton are the vault hunters.

I'm continuing my journey through the bandit infested, whacky world of Borderlands and have made my way into Borderlands 2.  There are a lot of things to love about the second game in the series and it's definitely the best of the three Borderlands games.  Just like with the first game, it has been awhile since I've played and I've been pleasantly surprised with how much I'm enjoying Borderlands 2.

On this playthrough I decided to play as Axton, the commando, since I hadn't played him before.  Axton is basically Roland 2.0 and his action ability is summoning a turret.  The best part about Axton's turret is that through certain talents it can be massively improved.  My Axton is sporting a turret that spews bullets AND rockets.  Plopping down a turret in those moments where you start feeling slightly overwhelmed by a large number of enemies is extremely satisfactory.  One thing I love about the turret ability is that you can pick up your turret if you don't need it and that it will conserve some cooldown time.  While playing the first game I was frequently frustrated at the fact that I would pop the action ability and then have to use the entire duration without the ability to toggle it off.

Pros:
--A nice mix of new enemies and old ones.  You can still shotgun skags and rakks, but now there are also bullymongs, threshers, rats (not rodents...more like bandits), and a vast array of Hyperion robots to slay.

--Elemental powers are much more useful than in the first game.  Slag helps increase the amount of elemental damage you do, and corrosive weapons aren't completely useless since they are excellent against the horde of Hyperion robots that you encounter later in the game.

--New vault hunters that are similar, but just different enough to feel fresh.  Maya's siren powers are different that Lilith's, but function much the same.  Zer0 can be shaped to be either a stealth, melee specialist or a ranged sniper.  It still feels like we are getting the mix of traditional RPG party members, but with a new spin.

--Hilarious new NPC's.  Handsome Jack is the perfect villain that we love to hate, Scooter is a lovable doofus with zero romantic skills, Ellie is big and beautiful, and Tiny Tina is funny crazy...not scary crazy.  There are many more, but these have always been the most memorable for me.

--Entertaining story.  I don't think the story is the focal point, but I like it.  It's fun to see the old crew from the first game working together to take down Handsome Jack.

--Character development.  I liked that you could find the audio logs for each of the main vault hunters and learn more about their backstories.

--Goofy sidequests.  There are tons of sidequests to do and skipping them means you're missing some really funny, weird moments.  My personal favorite has always been Tiny Tina's tea party.  First you have to fetch her party guests, a varkid in a jar (Sir Bartlesby) and a doll (Princess Fluffybutt).  Oh and some crumpets.  Next you have to find the guest of honor, a bandit called Fleshstick, and lure him into Tina's hideout.  The final step is to start the party--your job is to hold off numerous bandits who are trying to crash the party and free Fleshstick.  The party ends when you learn that Fleshstick was responsible for the death of Tina's parents and watch as she electrocutes him to death.  Best tea party ever.

--Shooting enemies feels much more realistic than in the first game.  There's still some room for improvement.

--Player bank to store loot.  There's also a combined bank where you can store a few items that can be accessed by all your characters.  This is a nice addition and allows you to fully utilize those legendary drops.

--DLC's add new zones, stories, and classes to the game.  There's even more to do!  The story-based DLC's are fun and I enjoyed playing as Gaige, the mechromancer.

--Co-op multiplayer.

--Developer still regularly releases codes for free in-game SHIFT keys that can be used to unlock "golden crates."  Yes, you do have to follow them on social media, but it's a nice way to keep people involved with an older title.

Cons:
--Returning to the same areas for quests with slightly different levels has always irritated me.  Less so in this game than in the first one.

That's pretty much it for the negatives.  I've enjoyed Borderlands 2 significantly more than the original game.  You don't necessarily need to have played the first game to enjoy the second one, but the story and characters will make much more sense if you do.  It's also nice that the Borderlands series frequently is featured in sales and that you can get GOTY editions relatively cheaply.