Western Style Adventure

I decided to grab Civilization 6 for free as part of the huge Epic Games Summer Sale giveaway.  Choosing to snatch it up is completely questionable--I'm horrible at 4X games and generally don't enjoy them--but hey, it was free!  One of the pluses of grabbing the freebies from Epic is that you also receive a $10 off coupon that can be applied to other purchases.  I had been eyeballing Red Dead Redemption 2 for awhile and was trying to be patient enough to wait for the price to drop down just a bit more than the sale price of $47.99 and to get somewhere in the $30 range.  Lucky for me that I got that handy $10 off coupon!  I decided to grab it and enter the world of the Wild, Wild West.  I cannot even think of another "western" themed game that I have played, so it's an exciting old/new world to be adventuring in.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, before my adventures got started, I got to have a whole other kind of adventure--an adventure in the frustrations of having to use multiple game launchers...that use multiple accounts....that work like a pile of hot garbage.  I very much enjoy Rockstar's games--I have been a Grand Theft Auto fan for a long time--but was wary of pouncing on RDR2 because many of the reviews on Steam mentioned the fact that the Rockstar Launcher is trash and that there were some early sketchy performance related issues.  I left my computer on overnight to download the whopping 118gb and then excitedly logged on and got prepared to get down to playing--unfortunately, just logging on turned into a chore.  The first thing you have to do is download and install the Rockstar Games Launcher--it was a quick, easy install.  Then, you have to try to set up an account, or in my case, try to remember the username and password for a Social Club account that I probably hadn't used for at least three years.  After going through the normal "forgot username/password" e-mail game I did finally manage to get logged in....only to get the message that "there are no linked games with this account."  What the fudge, man?

Faced with this installation wall, I had to resort to Googling how to fix this issue.  Repeated scanning of my system kept saying "there are no game files."  Umm, yes, there are 118 gb of frakkin' game files that took hours to download!  With some Reddit searching I was able to find some strange but effective solutions that eventually worked (deleting folders for the launcher and Social Club) and starting both the launcher and Epic Games in administrator mode--the launcher finally identified RDR2!  Time to get down to business....

Ha!  Nope.  The next error message I received was that the Rockstar Launcher couldn't authenticate the files from the Epic Games Store.  I hopped back onto Reddit to look for a solution and couldn't find one.  Luckily, I stumbled onto a thread that mentioned that during the halcyon days of the GTA V giveaway people were frequently getting the same error and that it had to do with Epic's servers being completely overloaded by people activating their free copies of GTA V.  So, there was nothing I could do but wait until the server side issues had been resolved.  Within an hour they had been fixed and I was finally able to get logged on.  By this point I had seriously considered mashing the refund button because all this work just to get the game to start was grating on my nerves--but, I am hoping that it turns out to be the masterpiece that people are claiming it is.

My first impressions of the game were mostly positive.  The graphics are absolutely amazing and I was stupidly impressed with the physics of the snow in the early introductory story.  Here's where I'm going to mention that my graphics setting defaulted to the high side and my computer started to sound like an aircraft upon take-off--this game is a beast on the graphics side of things and there are some insanely detailed graphics settings.  I had to play with them a bit so as to not overtax my poor graphics card (it didn't overheat, but I could feel the heat coming off my PC).

A genteel looking Arthur.

The story follows an outlaw gang that is on the run after a heist gone bad (the details of which seem to be intentionally shrouded in mystery).  Arthur Morgan, the character you play, is a rugged, cowboy type who rides with this gang.  One of parts of RDR2 that is interesting is the fact that there is a morality element--you can choose to have Arthur take actions that are "honorable" or you can play him like a true, outlaw badass.  After a short story introduction that gives players an idea about the various gameplay elements, you finally get to the meat--the massive, open world.  The world is gorgeous and filled with animals to hunt, games to play, bounties to capture and of course, story missions and side tasks.  It's not an Ubisoft-esque nightmare of map symbols, but it's huge!

I've been playing for a few hours and I've hit a bit of a wall--there is a ton to do and I've been a bit too focused on some of the side tasks (there are special challenges that you can unlock) which have proven to be more difficult than I initially thought they would.  There have also been some elements of the game that aren't explained terribly well and that I had to spend some time to figure out (namely supplying my camp).  I am going to spend some time working on the main missions (because I also think they unlock some gameplay elements that I haven't discovered yet).

I would emphasize this post with a beautiful screenshot I took of a fun, double rainbow, but another irritant related to Social Club is that your screenshots are saved in a weird, abnormal format that requires more work to find and convert.  (Maybe you're seeing a pattern here by now?).  I am really hoping that the quality of the game makes up for the ridiculousness of installation and these weird, non-user friendly settings.  

Close-ish to Reality

I had been tooling around with a few different games but recently felt the weird urge to replay a game that, in a way, has no business being "replayed."  I had invested some time in The Division 2 last year and found myself having a good time despite the fact that it's a shooter (I like shooting things, but shooters aren't generally my go-to).  Since I felt ultra-rusty, I decided that starting a new character would be a better idea than trying to go back to my already max level character.  In reality, that's completely pointless because it's not like there's some variety in the events that happen in the base story.  But, oh well, I got to design a new character and re-experience content that wasn't exactly fresh in my mind.

In restarting TD2, I had forgotten the basis for the story in that game--there's a global pandemic and society has disintegrated.  As I played through the intro I couldn't help internally (and externally, because, let's be real about isolation at this point) chuckling over the story--sort of a combination groan/chuckle.  Maybe it's a bad choice to play a game based in the aftermath of a pandemic during an actual pandemic?  Nah, I'm enjoying shooting all the things!

Ambush looming.

Since I stopped playing there have been some additions to the game--namely the addition of an expansion that takes players out of the ruins of Washington D.C. and into New York City.  I haven't purchased this expansion, but I'm obnoxiously reminded of its existence every time I return to the White House location and an given a virtual verbal command to "GET TO THE CHOPPA!"  Maybe someday when it goes on sale (it's priced at $29.99).  Since I'm not quite max level, I don't know the full extent of the changes to the late game stuff--when I stopped playing there were gear sets that could be acquired, but the system was fairly undeveloped.  I noticed that one of the new staff members I acquired in the White House was responsible for gear "recalibration"--a term that I would equate to "enchantments" in a fantasy leaning game world--players can take a desirable stat from a piece of gear (that piece of gear will be destroyed in the process) and add it to a library where it can be placed onto a future piece of gear.  That's some min/max stuff for late game.

Re-visiting the destroyed world of TD2 reminded me of what I have come to enjoy about Ubisoft's games--there's a high level of detail and accuracy in the world.  The missions take place in major D.C. landmarks and it's fun to play through the set pieces that take place in places like the Lincoln Memorial or the Air and Space Museum.  Roaming through the open world of D.C. I've noticed an increase in the number of apparel related items that I've recovered.  It might sound dumb, but now my character can rock a rotating number of outfits (that's why everyone plays serious shooting games, right?  For the outfits?).

To keep it fresh, I also decided that I would try to accomplish some of the achievements that I missed the first time around--utilizing different abilities, completing certain activities--those kinds of things.  I've learned to love my drone and have been doing some experimenting with the chem launcher.  I also decided to take a sojourn into a dark zone and give it a go (at a very early level, which is undoubtedly a waste of time) and was surprised to survive the encounter.  The dark zones are an intriguing blend of PvE and PvP--players can opt to work together to evac loot or turn on each other to steal loot.  In my instance, the other players were very focused on evac'ing loot and there wasn't any craziness.  I might give the dark zones another go later on.

In other news, the Epic Game Store is currently having a big sale.  As part of this sale, they've been giving away a number of big titles--the biggest and most notable of them was Grand Theft Auto V.  The interwebs were abuzz with GTA V talk and plenty of gawping at this epic offering.  Currently the free game is Civilization VI.  I snapped it up despite the fact that I am decidedly horrible at 4X games.  There are two more games scheduled to be given away as part of the sale--rumors are that they will be Borderlands:  The Handsome Collection (which includes Borderlands 2 and ALL the DLC and Borderlands:  The Pre-Sequel and ALL its DLC!) on May 28th and Ark:  Survival Evolved.  One of the best parts of the Epic giveaways is that you get a $10 off coupon for downloading the free games!  I decided to finally bite the bullet on Red Dead Redemption 2 and am looking forward to some western style goodness (after I get tired of TD2).

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  Check out some games or enjoy some socially distanced outdoor activities.

Navigating Two Extremes

After ending my Game Pass subscription I had to navigate the complex feelings related to figuring out what to play next.  My mindset right now (thanks to trying to cope with a global pandemic and all the uncertainty related to that whole situation) is one that is very unsettled.  Thanks to that weirdness, I've been bouncing back and forth between two games that in no sane way remotely go together--Stardew Valley and Doom (2016).

I was eyeballing my vast Steam library and trying to figure out exactly what I did feel like playing.  In the early days of lockdown I was dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety.  I didn't feel like picking up something heavy or stressful and was just looking for something light and escapist.  What better way to relax than building up your farming empire, making new friends, and rebuilding a community!  I had initially played Stardew Valley when it was first released and had accomplished most of the major events--the community center had been fully rebuilt, my character was happily married with two kids and a fully expanded house, and the entire community were my new BFF's.--there wasn't much more to do (there actually was...).

Farming 2.0 in Stardew Valley.

Since my last Stardew adventure ceased, the base game has been updated with some fairly large changes.  The largest and most notable is the addition of multiplayer--you can build a farm with a friend!  I haven't ventured into the multiplayer world, but have enjoyed many of the other changes that have been built into the game.  When you start up a new game you can choose from several different farm layouts--I opted for a farm bordered by forests which provides some hardwood stumps that are refreshed daily.  The painful process of gift giving and figuring out what everyone loves or hates has been simplified with the addition of a log for each character that records how they feel about the gift you just gave them.  A number of different farm buildings have been added to the game--you can build your own mill to make flour or sugar; there's a fish pond which you can stock with fish who will produce certain fish related items; you can build a shed and put whatever you want in it; and, thanks to multiplayer, you can build a cabin for your friend!

This time around I decided I would try to complete some of the things that I didn't achieve the first time.  The Adventurer's Guild monster slaying objectives I only half-finished, so this time I decided that it would be my goal to finish all the tasks.  Little did I know that new monster types had been added into the game and one type in particular is somewhat difficult to find--Pepper Rex's are a fire-spewing dinosaurs that live in the Skull Mines.  The occasionally appear on normal mine levels, but they are numerous on the new prehistoric levels which you can find as you navigate the skull mine.  The goal is to kill 50...and I still haven't accomplished it despite being in year three of my farm!  Only once have I found myself on a prehistoric level and I've had to settle for the very sporadic times when a random Pepper Rex will appear on a regular mine level.  Currently, I think I'm about halfway to my goal--26 Pepper Rex's down.  I plan on finishing it even though it has been much grindier than I expected.

There have also been new additions to late game items.  Krobus, the shadow creature that lives in the sewers, now sells a very expensive Return Scepter (2,000,000 gold) which can be used to return your character to your farm from any location--no crafting required!  Two million gold is no small sum though and will require some serious farming.  After you've fully upgraded your house, Robin will present you with a new option--the ability to spend 500,000 gold and 900 wood to build a house for Pam.  I just completed this goal and it was one of the nicest moments in the game--Pam, is one of the characters in the game who is a bit complicated, and she's is overjoyed to have a house rather than the trailer that she shares with her daughter Penny.  Pam promises that she'll clean up her act and be a better mother to Penny.

When it comes to adventuring, there's a new vendor in the Calico Desert who sells a variety of items which can be purchased with mine-related currency (omni geodes, gems, and monster loot).  The items are mostly cosmetic, but are very fun.  For 333 omni geodes you can purchase a psychedelic cowboy hat that changes colors.  I'm very far from that goal because I am spending my geodes on artifact troves (crates which are like geodes and can be broken open by Clint, the blacksmith) with the hope of completing the artifact collection for the library (three artifacts left!).

After I get tired of all that farming and mine traversing, I do a full switch of the gears and play some Doom.  Like Stardew, I played Doom several years ago and hadn't picked it up since.  I completed the game the first time around, but didn't accomplish some of the more exploration related tasks--namely, I didn't find all the rune challenges or the collectibles (I really just wanted to punch stuff).  This time, I'm carefully monitoring the map and taking the time to puzzle out how to reach the items I missed the first time.  I've done a pretty good job and have found and completed all the rune challenges, found all the weapon upgrade drones, and only have a few collectibles to go.  I forgot about how much fun Doom is--fast-paced, furious shooting, and tearing demons apart with your bare, demon slaying hands.  I'm thinking a trek into the newest Doom chapter, Doom Eternal, is planned for my future (I'm hoping for a good summer sale price).

Whatever weird combination of games helps keep you sane right now, just keep on playing!

The Game Pass Experience

These days it seems like everything is trying to become a subscription service.  Not to be the exception, gaming has found its way into this modern trend.  I had been very on the fence about adding another subscription service to the list of things that I'm already paying for, but I decided to give XBox Game Pass (for PC) a try.  Recently, I decided to cancel my subscription.

Is Game Pass worth it?

If you haven't heard of Game Pass...well, that would be kind of weird, but I think as a PC gamer it's not as prevalent as it is on the console end.  The PC version of the service is in its infancy (it's currently in beta) and appears to be something that Microsoft is trying to grow.  I'm going to lay out the pros and cons of my short(ish) experience with the service.

Pros:
+ Low cost.  The PC version of Game Pass is not a full-fledged version but a beta version.  The benefit of being Microsoft's beta guinea pig is the fact that the cost of the service is only $1 for the first month  After your initial month is up, the price goes up to $14.99 for three months.  $5 a month isn't a bad price.  The price after that goes up even further.  It's still a bargain for those first months.

+ Decently sized game library with many different genres to choose from.  Currently, there are 197 games in the library.  If you're a fan of Microsoft's related major gaming titles (your Halo or Gears of War) those titles are front and center as part of the service.  The games available are blend of big name titles, smaller indie titles, and random weird games.  I prioritized my list as "absolutely want to play" and "would play," and worked through games that way.

+Easy to use.  All you have to do is install the Xbox app and everything is there.  I didn't have any problems using the app.

+ New games are added fairly frequently.

Cons
- The tradeoff for that low, low price I mentioned is being a beta guinea pig.  Every game you install gives you a prompt that Microsoft wants to monitor your activity while playing the game.  You have the option to click "no," but I have no idea what happens if you're unwilling to let the Microsoft overlords monitor your gameplay.

- No control over the version of game installed.  On Steam, at least there's notification about patches and hotfixes so you have some idea if something is being fixed.  I had some technical difficulties with the higher-end games on Game Pass--namely some known crashing issues in Metro:  Exodus.  When searching for a solution, many posts stated that all you needed to do to fix it was to launch the game in DirectX11 rather than 12--it should have been a simple matter of going into the options menu in the game and switching it.   The Game Pass version of the game doesn't give users that option and instead gave me a message about launching the game in "safe mode" after a crash.  The only time you could change the version was after a crash...  Many other reviews for games stated that the version available on Game Pass were not the same as on Steam and could be buggy.

- Installation/uninstallation weirdness.  Something to be aware of is the fact that Game Pass wants to install on the same drive as your OS.  If you have a smaller SSD you use for Windows 10 it's going to want to install the games there by default.  You have to go into your settings and change your default installation drive or you're going to fill up that space really quickly (I use a larger HDD for my game storage).

When it comes to uninstalling games, I noticed that after removing a game that the space wasn't being freed up on my drives.  The game files you download (which are very large for a game like Metro:  Exodus) are not fully removed when you uninstall them and instead are reserved as "delivery optimization" files which require you to go into your disk management menu and mark them for deletion.  It's obnoxious.

- Social features, reviews, and other stuff that PC gamers would associate with a Steam-like experience is in its infancy.  It feels like they're trying to add it in, but it's pretty bare bones right now (which is to be expected with a beta version).

- Menus are weird and can be hard to navigate.  If you want to browse through the list of all the games you have to navigate through all of them in alphabetical order.  The menus load slowly and if you click on a game to check it out, it starts you over at the beginning...every damn time!

- Games rotated out fairly frequently.  I put this as a pro, because you can count on new games being worked into the rotation, but at the same time it can be irritating to have a game on your list and then find out it's going away.  I had this experience with a few games on my list.  You have no control over what's added or what's taken away.

Recommendation:
For $1 I got to play a bunch of great games that I really wanted to play.  The cost of purchasing all those games would be considerably higher.  I got a chance to try them and decide which ones I would consider purchasing (not through Microsoft though....).  Barring the weirdness I mentioned in the cons, Game Pass would be a good option for someone who is looking for affordable gaming options.  There are enough quality games that you can find things you want to play--for me, those games eventually ran out and I didn't feel like paying for games that I only kind of wanted to play (it's still cheap though).  You're going to have to agree to some monitoring that some people won't like.

Platforming Magic--Ori and the Will of the Wisps

For some reason I have to be in just the right mood to pick up a platformer.  I picked up Celeste late last year and still haven't finished it--there's just something mildly torturous about the modern iteration.  That doesn't mean that they aren't brilliant games, it just means that for me anyway, I have to be in just the right frame of mind to be willing to accept a lot of failure.  Before I ended my relationship with Game Pass, the timing and my frame of mind were right to check out the next chapter in the Ori series--Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps picks up after the events that took place in the first game.  Ori and his cute, monster/critter friends are helping to raise the amazingly adorable, owlet Ku.  Unfortunately for Ku, her ground bound caretakers aren't exactly equipped to properly teach her how to fly.  Once she's old enough they try and try to get her to take flight, but she just can't manage it--the feathers on one of her wings are underdeveloped and it seems like flight is impossible for the little owl.  In true Ori fashion, it's very sad (I swear that one of the goals in the Ori games is to make you cry in the first 10 minutes),  Fortunately for Ku, Ori has the bright idea to recover a feather from the site of Ku's former nest and figures out how to attach it to Ku's wing.  Ku is finally able to fly!  Ori and Ku take off together to explore the forest....but, the story has to start somewhere, and a massive storm approahces and Ku's feather apparatus is knocked loose!  Ku and Ori crash down into separate areas of the forest.  Ori's mission is to track down Ku and try to bring her back to their home.

Some gameplay related information--this time around, I was very patient and decided to try to uncover as many of the secret areas and hidden items as I could.  I didn't quite get 100%, but I got pretty close (95%, I think...I can't remember).  I played the first game on mouse and keyboard and it was very challenging (I would not recommend it) but this time around I used a controller and it made it so much easier and more enjoyable.  I think my total playthrough, even with all the exploring, clocked in at around 30 hours.

Pros:

+ Gorgeous settings and environments.  The game is scattered across several different zones that represent a variety of biomes.  Each biome has mechanics specific to it (which is a new feature)--for example, in the ice biome, Ori has to find special brazier-like doodads and figure out how to light them to melt iced over areas in order to progress.  Each area has a beautiful backdrop in true Ori fashion.

+ Beautiful soundtrack.  The music in Ori has always been a highlight for me.  Soaring piano tunes and furiously fast-paced chase sequences...it fits the game perfectly.

+ Cute critters.  Throughout the game Ori meets a wide variety of forest animals who need help.  The Moki are a fox-like/cat-like group of creatures who live in the forest.  They've been forced out of their traditional homes by the villain in the game (a large, very creepy looking deformed bird-creature) and are trying to adapt to life in a new setting.  There's an entire sidequest/gathering tasks that unlocks once you reach a certain part of the game where you can find hidden ores and use them to build a new village for the Moki.

+ New mechanics.  Many of the platforming mechanics from the first game carry over into the second--at a certain point in the game you can unlock the bash-jump (where you jump and angle to trajectory of you flight) which is familiar--but there are also some new ones.  In the watery biome, you unlock a spinning underwater dash that can be used to move quickly while swimming or attack underwater enemies.  The same mechanic applies when you reach the sand biome--you can plunge into and under the sand and use it as a platform for high jumps.  The new mechanics take a little while to get used to, but help make some highly enjoyable platforming levels.

+ Unlockable talent/orb system.  Throughout the game Ori can find special orbs which unlock slots for special abilities.  Then, the challenge is finding all the different special ability orbs.  The orbs accentuate Ori's abilities--some of my favorites were the wall cling ability (allows Ori to automatically cling to walls); the triple jump (three jumps!  It's great for jumping across wide areas), and then a standard damage reduction ability.  There are many different abilities and you can swap them out to best fit your needs.

+ A variety of combat abilities.  Ori can also discover various attack abilities--a fast, rapid series of attacks; a giant-hammer-like smash attack, and many others.  There is a customizable wheel where you can assign attacks abilities to certain spots and easily swap them out.

+ Platforming that is just the right amount of challenge.  Certain areas provide challenge--spinning, wheel-like objects that require well-timed jumps; vast gulfs that look impossible to traverse at first, but which can be overcome with the right combination of abilities; it is difficult, but it's doable.  You can expect to die quite a bit, but it doesn't feel overly punishing.

+ Boss fights.  Throughout the game Ori encounters a number of big baddies.  These fights require utilizing your abilities and simply learning the mechanics of the fight.  Generally they are going to take several tries to finish, but it's always satisfying to finally defeat a boss.

+ Chase sequences.  One of the best (but also frustrating) parts of the Ori games are the nutso chase sequences.  There are several in Will of the Wisps and they require a combination of quick reaction time and knowledge of new abilities.  There's always a feeling of relief when you do manage to finish a chase sequence.

+ Sidequests and tasks.  There are many Moki scattered around the map who are in need of specific items.  Some of them will give Ori an actual quest which will appear in the log and others just request certain items (which are hidden around the map).  There is plenty to keep you exploring.

+ Combat and platforming challenges.  Scattered around the map are discoverable pillars which unlock special challenges.  The combat challenge pillars summon waves of enemies that must be defeated--the major catch is that the enemies will not drop health orbs.  You have to defeat multiple waves but the rewards are new abilities or ability slots, so it's very worthwhile (even though some of them are quite difficult).  There are also special shrines which unlock special platforming challenges which pit you against a "ghost" Ori across a specific area of the map.  The goal is to reach the end shrine before the "ghost" as quickly as you can.  I found the platforming challenges to be particularly daunting.  They also provide rewards.

Cons:

- Chase sequences can be frustrating.  If you fail a chase sequence, you always have to start it over from the beginning.  It's part of the challenge, but is one of the more difficult mechanics in the game.  It took me several tries to get past the sandworm (one of the craziest chases in the game--it's pretty late in the game).  I've always enjoyed the chases, but they can be frustrating.

Recommendation:

Even though I wouldn't rank platformers as my favorite genre of games, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a lot of fun.  It continues and improves upon the formula established in the first game--beautiful settings and music, challenging platforming, bonkers chase sequences, and lots of hidden areas to find.  I would recommend playing it (especially if you have Game Pass) and purchasing it.