Messin' With Your Mind--BioShock: Infinite

I've been on a bit of a BioShock kick lately.  The remastered versions of BioShock and BioShock 2 were automatically given to anyone who had already purchased the original games (on Steam) and I wanted to see if the old gems were even shinier (I didn't notice a great difference and would recommend against playing the remastered version of the second game--it's prone to crashing).  After I finished both of those games, it still didn't feel right to not to play all three games in the series, so I decided that a refreshing trip to Columbia was in order.  Now, I'm fresh off my trip to the clouds in BioShock:  Infinite and still trying to figure out what the whole thing means.  There could be some spoilers, so just be aware.

One of your first glimpses of Columbia.

Pros:
--Amazing environment.  My favorite part of the  BioShock series has always been the magic of the worlds where the stories take place.  The underwater utopia of Rapture is one of the best settings in gaming and Infinite definitely continues the trend of awesome worlds.  The floating city of Columbia is another utopia, but this time it's hanging up in the clouds.  If it wasn't a shooter, it would be a great place to simply explore.  I love the fact that it's set in 1912 and that it manages to capture an old fashioned feel while also incorporating a variety of weapons and a whole steampunk-esque type of technology.

--Bonkers story.  I have played through the entire game at least 4-5 times and trying to figure out exactly what happened still makes my head hurt.  There's a lot of quantum physic-y mumbo jumbo but that mind bending aspect is what makes it so out of the ordinary and thought provoking.  I will often find myself thinking about random parts of the story and having epiphanies about something that I've finally nailed down...like the fact that the Lutece twins aren't really twins at all, but are the same person--err, people.  When I first played it, I was completely baffled and had to play through the ending twice.

--Elizabeth as a companion.  At first, there's something slightly grating about Elizabeth.  She has this Disney princess type of look and voice and she seems like exactly the most ridiculous type of companion that typically gets thrown at you.  There's something brilliant about her character though and the way she matures and changes throughout the game.  I enjoyed watching the subtle changes in her character as the game progressed--it's something that I haven't really paid attention to in the past--and I discovered myself really liking her as a character.  One refreshing part of having her by your side throughout the game is the fact that she's not some feckless, weak idiot who cowers when battle starts--sure, she doesn't fight, but she helps you fight by throwing you items and opening tears which can be useful for providing cover or weapons.

--BioShock combat that is different enough to be fresh, but remains true to the series.  There are still plenty of special abilities--though in Infinite they are elixirs rather than plasmids--and to be successful in combat players will need to utilize a combination of elixirs and weapons.  The fresh part comes from the addition of skylines (throughout different parts of the game) which are a ton of fun to zip around on and leap down onto enemies.  Fully utilizing Elizabeth's ability to open tears is also a new challenge that helps keep things new.

--No jump scares!  The original games are chocked full of hideously deformed splicers and so many creepy settings that I find myself jumping at my own shadow.  It's nice not to feel so freaked out.  (Some people might disagree with me here.)

--No minigames or puzzles.  Simply equip Possession and enjoy some free cash--no other actions required.

--Movement required.  Enemies keep you on your toes and you need to shoot and scoot to stay alive.  You will become adept at shooting on the move--whether it's while you are gliding down a skyline or running for your life.

What does it all mean?

Cons:
--Your brain hurts from trying to figure out the story and all the possible links.  Are Rapture and Columbia the same place in different worlds?  They seem oddly similar--two worlds led the fanatical leaders--the "prophet," Comstock, and the visionary, Andrew Ryan.  What about the "lamb?"  The Lamb is an actual person in BioShock 2--Eleanor Lamb--and Elizabeth fills the role in Infinite.  Is Booker DeWitt just another Big Daddy guiding a lost little sister?  My brain!

I've always greatly enjoyed BioShock:  Infinite.  I think it's a game that manages to combine the fun of a shooter with great storytelling.  The fact that the story is so crazy sets it apart from other games.  I'll take a whacky, mind bending story over bland, run of the mill grist anyday.


 

A Little of This and a Little of That

Lately, my habit has been to bounce back and forth between several games which means that I don't really have one specific game to write about.  I attribute this inability to focus on the fact that it's May--the school year is winding down and my teacher brain is functioning at a fairly low level by the time I get home after work.  Plus, the end of the school year is notoriously crammed full of different events, functions, meetings, and other random obligations that gobble up chunks of time.  Yeah, it all basically amounts to me just picking something generally soothing to play just to relax for a little while.

My beautiful truck.

My first choice for relaxation is EuroTruck Simulator 2.  I had played quite a bit of ETS2, but had set it aside in favor of playing new games I had bought or older games that I've been replaying and reviewing.  The nice thing about ETS2 is that it's easy to hop back into the game after time away.  The other really nice thing about ETS2 is that there are continued updates to content and random events.  Right now there is a in-game EuroTruck racing event going on (read about it here).  No, you're not actually racing trucks, but you are delivering racing components to different locations in Europe.  Your goal is to deliver twelve loads of racing components to twelve different cities (the trips must be over 200 km).  For completing the event players can unlock a variety of in-game and Steam items--a unique racing themed paint job, a racer bobblehead for the interior of your truck, and three different pennants.  These random events are a fun way to keep people involved and the in-game rewards are unique.

SCS seems dedicated to keeping ETS2 fresh and are also updating the game to make it look more modern.  Germany is getting a big revamp and other areas are to follow.  There's also news that the next DLC will add the Baltic States.  All this new content has me excited to grow my company "Keep on Truckin'" and explore more of Europe.

When I'm not driving my EuroTruck, I've found myself back in the floating world of Columbia in BioShock:  Infinite.  I've already played through it several times, so there's no surprises in the story, but I'm enjoying going back and paying attention to the small details.  The skylines are one of the best additions to the game--it's insanely fun to zip around on them and then deliver a leaping death blow to guards below.

Elizabeth is a great companion.

I've been thinking alot about Elizabeth as a character.  At first I wasn't so sure that I liked her much as a companion, but I am finding that there are many things that I enjoy about Elizabeth.  I like how in the beginning she's so naive and that her excitement is so palpable.  It's always heartwarming to break her out of her tower and then watch her dancing on the beach.  As the story progresses you see that innocent charm melt away--she sees all the killing and evil and it very clearly impacts her.  I watch how brilliantly her body language changes throughout the game--she's animated to reflect all those changes in her attitude--she goes from a giddy, prancing girl to a serious, calculating woman all within the span of the game.  It's something I haven't focused on much--there are so many bonkers pieces of the story to figure out--but I am having a newfound respect for.

The fact that Elizabeth aids you in combat is also something that I enjoy.  All too often your video game companions are either squishy escort missions who require extra guarding or are invincible side quests that you can mostly ignore.  Elizabeth definitely falls within the second category, but it's refreshing to see her play a role in the world--she will automatically take cover and help you in combat--throwing you ammo, salts, or health when you need it or opening tears to allow access to weapons, materials, or terrain.  She can pick locks and help you solve codes.  Yeah, she isn't just some daft girl who needs saving and I'm glad she was written that way.

The last game that I've given a little bit of time to is American Truck Simulator.  I decided to buy the New Mexico DLC when it was last on sale and wanted to check out the additional content.  New Mexico adds a lot of stunning scenery to the already beautiful American West as well as many, many more miles of roads to traverse and cities to visit.  SCS has said that they will be adding more states to ATS and I look forward to the addition of my home state of Oregon in the near future.  It's definitely fun seeing the U.S. translated into the game, but I've found that I actually prefer EuroTruck Simulator to its American counterpart.  There's just something really fun and foreign about navigating the European roadways.

Whatever you're playing or doing, enjoy the extra long Memorial Day weekend!

Nimble Fingers

It had been quite awhile since I initially picked up Cook, Serve, Delicious 2, but I decided to delve back into the world of madcap button mashing.  The follow up to the zany and hectic restaurant sim offers even more delicious food and panic inducing rush hours.  I've been cursing my clumsy fingers as I doggedly pursue gold medals on cook-for-hire levels (you should only do this if you're truly some kind of masochist--I keep telling myself to stop, but then I find myself playing the same level over and over...it's compulsive).

Pros:

A quick peek at a small portion of the catalog.

--Food design is beautiful.  The food in CSD2 looks extremely delicious and it's obvious that a ton of effort went into making it look that way.  You will probably find yourself getting hungry just from playing.

--Tons of food choice.  As you play and earn money you can either unlock new foods or purchase them.  There is a wide array of entrees, side dishes, drinks, and desserts to choose from.  Picking a menu is a much more daunting task than in the first game.

--Different game modes.  Players can either choose to run their own restaurant (similar to the first game--you pick your menu each day, earn buzz or detractors, purchase upgrades) or they can choose to play the "cook for hire" levels.  Cook for hire offers challenges in a large number of themed restaurant.  Each shift in cook for hire is different and players can earn money and medal rankings for their performance--bronze--8 or fewer average or bad orders; silver--5 or fewer; and gold--no average or bad orders.  As players earn medals, they can unlock various food and restaurant design items.

If you choose to run your own restaurant, you can choose from several different game modes.  There's the classic mode where you earn buzz each day; standard mode which doesn't include daily buzz; zen mode which is absent of the frantic rush hours; and stress mode which is designed to make you crazy--it's basically non-stop rush hour.

Dining with cats.  My cat themed restaurant.

--Restaurant design tool.  As you unlock more items, you can choose exactly how you want your restaurant to look.  There are a wide variety of floors, bars, tables, chairs, objects, windows, paint/wall patterns, dividers, plants, and so much more!  You can create a themed restaurant or just throw together whatever whacky items that you like.  My current theme is cats.

--Holding stations and strategizing.  Part of figuring out each cook for hire level is trying to plan how you will utilize your holding stations.  Some foods require a holding station, it's optional for some others, and it's generally a good idea to have some side dishes on hand to increase customer patience.  Managing your regular prep stations and the holding stations can be completely crazy, but it adds in an element of strategy.

--Continued development of features.  There have been several updates since the game was released and more content has been added.  It's very obvious that Chubigans listens to feedback and works to give players the fixes and new content that they want to see.

Cons:

"All the Sports Grill" is one of the many "cook for hire" levels.

--There's very little reason to play in your own restaurant and it's obvious that much more work went into designing the cook for hire levels.  I really loved the first game for the feeling of creating a barebones restaurant and then working your way up.  The feeling is completely absent and it's part of the reason why I walked away from the game for so long.  Cook for hire is fun and challenging, but it's just not the same.  Plus, if you want to earn golds, you will be beating your head against the wall playing the same levels over and over.  It can get repetitive.

--Complicated foods.  The food is beautiful, but now it's also extremely complicated.  If you want to create a pizza you first have to choose a type of dough and sauce, then hit space to change to the next page of ingredients, then choose from meats and cheeses, then hit space again, then choose veggie/fruit options.  There are many foods that require multiple steps and so many ingredients that trying to keep them all memorized is a huge challenge.  (I think this is one aspect of the game that some might love and some might hate--I lean toward the dislike side)

I would recommend CSD2.  It doesn't quite have the same story-like feeling that the first game has, but the variety of player-based choices offers much more personalization.  The cook for hire levels are fun and there's a ton of freedom to choose exactly how you want to play. 

Splicing and Dicing

You're a Big Daddy on a mission.

I'm not a huge fan of remasters, re-releases, or any other semi-cleverly marketed lure that is designed to drag more money out of people.  One thing I am not opposed to though is free stuff, so when a remaster is offered for the fine, fine price of $0, I'm completely fine with that.  At some point in the quasi-recent past, I began a quest to play through the remastered versions of BioShock and BioShock 2.  I've always enjoyed the BioShock series and wanted to see what the remastered versions had to offer.  Well, it turns out that other than the awesome original gameplay, there is very little additional content or extra features to make the remastered versions any better than the originals.  In fact, in the case of BioShock 2, I would recommend playing the original over the remastered version...but I'll get to that.

I'm fresh off finishing a playthrough of the remastered version of BioShock 2.  For some weird reason people haven't enjoyed the second game as much as the first.  The story isn't as twisty and unexpected as the first game, there's a lot of high-falutin' psychobabble worked into the plot, but there are still plenty of other things to enjoy.  The decision to allow players to simultaneously wield a weapon and plasmids is a huge improvement over the annoying switching back and forth from the first game.  There's nothing quite like the refreshing feeling of setting a splicer alight and then spearing them like a human shishkebab.  Tell me that you don't enjoy that!

The decision to make the protagonist a Big Daddy also provided a fun, new aspect to the story--choosing how to deal with those creepy Little Sisters.  The most ADAM-friendly choice is to adopt the little freaks and take them on a romp through Rapture to look for corpses to suck dry.  There's quite a bit of added challenge in the defensive aspect of guarding your Little Sister while she (slowly) drains corpses.  Of course, once she's harvested two corpses you have to make another decision--you can choose to release her from her freaky, yellow-eyed hell as a Little Sister or you can harvest her for extra ADAM (which means you kill her...you monster!).  The decisions you make throughout the game do have an impact on the ending that you receive, which makes saving or harvesting them impactful.

The main story itself isn't horrible, it's just not quite as interesting as all the crazy plot twists that were worked into the first game.  Dr. Lamb isn't the villain that Andrew Ryan or Frank Fontaine were in the first game.  She mostly talks at you in a very soothing, psychologist kind of voice.  Sure, she has some really messed up motives, but she's just not the looming, scary boss type that you would expect in a shooter.

Rapture itself is still one of the best environments in gaming.  Plus, they decided to stick with the occasional jump-scare/freak you out tactic.  There might be a corpse in a corner, but the second you look away...it's gone.  Then you turn around and BAM!  Splicer right in your grill.  It gets me every time!  It's not a true BioShock game if you're not freaked out by your own shadow.

I'm not really the type of gamer who has a lot of technical expertise--I can't tell you how many FPS I was getting or if the the shadows were ultra-high quality--but I didn't really feel like I noticed a huge difference in the way that the remastered version of the game looked.  In fact, I was a little disappointed that the last cutscene seemed really pixelated.  So, I really can't tell you if the remastered version offered some kind of uber-graphics that I was just blissfully unaware of...sorry.

My major irritation with the remastered version was the fact that once I reached Dionysus Park, my game started crashing.  I can handle some occasional game crashing if it means that I don't lose much play time, but I didn't pay attention to how infrequently the game autosaves.  Just FYI, the game autosaves at the beginning of levels and that's really it.  Needless to say, I was very irritated when I had spent over an hour clearing the level--killing Big Daddies, adopting three Little Sisters, and guarding them through six harvests--to have the game crash while I was fighting the Big Sister just prior to completing the level.  I had to start over at the very beginning!  (And here's where I will admit that I forgot that there was a quicksave option--I was kicking myself after I looked).  There was no choice but to start the level completely over (this time, using plenty of quicksaves).  I still had the level crash 3-4 times before I completed it.  The weird part is that the game only crashed on that level.

I definitely think that fans of BioShock should play the sequel and will enjoy it.  My personal recommendation is to opt for the original version over the remaster (if you purchase it on Steam you will receive both versions).  I don't think that the remaster has much to offer over the original game and I cannot recall having any crashing issues with the original game.  Sometimes older is better. 

Torn about Mankind Divided

I wasn't even sure if I really wanted to purchase Deus Ex:  Mankind Divided.  I planted it on my wishlist and left it there while I periodically checked on the reviews to see what people were saying.  Many of the reviews mentioned some things that immediately turned me off--day one DLC; an in-game store for purchasing one-time use items (and in a singleplayer game!); and various performance related gripes.  Other reviews painted a much more positive picture.  In the end, I decided to take it off my wishlist--it just didn't seem worth it to get sucked into the kind of game that seemed to be mostly oriented toward the money-grubbing end of the spectrum.  I didn't think twice about my choice until I saw it (and all its DLC) up for an extremely low sale price ($9.99).  At $9.99 I was willing to risk paying for something that might not turn out great.

A beautiful view of Dubai.  One of the few missions outside of Prague.

Deus Ex:  Mankind Divided is the follow up to the highly enjoyable Human Revolution.  Like Revolution, MD stars the highly augmented Adam Jensen as he fights the forces of evil.  This time around Adam is in Prague working for TF29, a secretive branch of Interpol that is focused on investigating terrorism.  The events from HR have highly influenced the world in MD.  Augmented humans have become persona non grata and in Prague, many of them have been sent to live in segregated ghettos far from the city.  Those who haven't been sent away are treated as second class citizens--harassed, feared, and left to suffer from the debilitating effects of Neuropyzene withdrawal.  Society has been divided into two clear and completely unequal classes--natural and augmented.  It's in this highly divisive environment that Adam is compelled to become involved in an investigation into augmented terrorists.  This investigation isn't a simple matter--hackers from the Janus Collective believe that there is a complicated conspiracy between some of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world and that they are manipulating TF29 to create a crisis that would be beneficial both politically and economically.  The main storyline follows Adam as he attempts to unravel the possible threads between the Illuminati, TF29, and many other groups.

Enjoyed:
--The highly detailed city of Prague.  I would hesitate to call it open-world, but it's large and there is plenty to explore.  Much of my playtime was spent exploring the city and trying to find all the little hidden corners.  There are plenty of vents to crawl through, apartments to hack into, and sewers to much about in.

In general, the game is very beautiful and you'll often find yourself gaping at a scenic vista.

--Character design and detail.  I can't say there are many games where I just want to walk around and look at what people are wearing.  The futuristic design of the clothing is stylish and beautiful.  Even the haggard augs who have a paltry existence on the streets have a high level of detail.  The police uniforms are armored and militarized, but they also have a sort of medieval knight feeling.  Even on my low, low graphics setting I was astounded at the textures.

--Not having to kill anyone.  It has always irked me that some games will allow players to choose a non-lethal playstyle but will insist that bosses must be killed.  HR was guilty of this and I was happy when I realized MD would allow players to incapacitate bosses.

--Multiple paths to success.  Part of the challenge in Deus Ex is figuring out the best way to navigate undetected through levels filled with patrolling guards, security cameras, laser grids, and various other defenses.  Finding vents, maintenance tunnels, sewers, or any other handy, hidden routes is fun.

"Naturals Only."

--A world filled with prejudice.  From the first minute you walk Adam out of his apartment you are faced with a society that hates augmented humans.  People call you names--clank, hanzer--there's anti-aug graffiti spray painted on buildings, and there's enforced segregation in public places.  It really hit me when I was exploring the city and I saw stores and park benches that said "naturals only."  I made it a point to avoid the police because they would ask for identification any time I walked by them when I was exiting the subway.

--Breaking into stuff.  I'm not really sure what this says about my personality, but I could spend the entire game just hacking into keypads to get into apartments and stores.  It's fun to hack into computers, read e-mails, and learn about the people who live there.

--Movement system that makes being stealthy feel very fluid.  Rounding corners and rolling flow together rather than being awkward and difficult to control.

--Easy to modify weapons and swap ammo and mods.  Simply hit Y and you can remove silencers, change the firing pattern, or switch ammo types.

--Augment skill tree that is easily adaptable to playstyle.  I usually opt for a stealthier playstyle so I tend to take talents that contribute to hacking, sneaking, and navigating through difficult to reach or hidden places (rebreather, leg mods for higher jumping).  It's nice that the skill tree is completely flexible and that you don't have to take some talents to unlock others.  The addition of experimental points throws a little bit of spice into the mix and adds some great abilities (remote hacking is one of my favorite).

--Music.  It's not quite as good as the soundtrack for HR, but the music still has a great futuristic vibe.

--Breach Mode offers up a single player challenge mode that revolves around infiltrating and stealing data on the Neural Subnet.  It offers you a chance to test out your skills and see how they stack up against other players around the world.  (It's also a thinly veiled reason for microtransactions)

When it comes to the DLC (Jensen's Stories), they can be hit or miss.  Desperate Measures is very short and generally uninteresting.  System Rift is a lot of fun and has a great story--it involves breaking into the Palisade Blade and hacking into a heavily secured mainframe.  You meet a new character, ShadowChild, and get to spend some time with an old one--Francis Pritchard.  If the rest of the game had been written the way that System Rift was, it would be much, much better.

A Criminal Past offers an interesting premise--Adam is undercover in a maximum security prison for augs, but it features one of my least favorite story elements--stripping you of all your powers (granted, you do have the option of activating your powers).  The story features more conspiracy-based mumbo jumbo and, for me, it was eclipsed by the annoyance of having no augs.

Did not enjoy:

--One of the absolutely worst endings in a game.  There's basically no closure to the entire storyline and you're left with a feeling of confusion.  "Now I'm going to catch the bad guys!"  Wait, wasn't that the point?

--Very little character development.  I felt no connection to any of the characters that were supposed to matter.  They were simply props who gave me missions to complete.  The most interesting character was a nobody in the TF29 office (Aria Argento).  It was more interesting to check out their outfits than to talk to them.

--The almost open world design of Prague.  It's big, but it's not open world.  Prague exists in two halves that require the use of a cleverly disguised loading screen in the form of the subway.  Travelling back and forth between the halves got really old--especially toward the end of the game.

--Short main storyline.  So much time is spent in Prague that it didn't feel like there were many missions that take you to other locations.  At least HR saw you travelling around the world and facing large, elaborate levels in various places.

I can't say that I didn't enjoy playing Mankind Divided--the simple joys of being stealthy and completing missions without being detected is very satisfying.  The gameplay has been improved and is definitely the highlight.  It's really frustrating that they created such a beautiful and flawed world and then completely dropped the ball with the main storyline and characters.

In the end, I would give Deus Ex:  Mankind Divided a cautious recommendation.  It's not as good as Human Revolution, but there's enough to enjoy to make it worth playing.  If you're going to buy it, I'd wait for a sale.