2022 Gaming--A Year in Review

With the end of 2022 looming, it's time to roll out all those end of the year lists.  I'll admit that I'm a sucker for the fun little "wrapped" videos and do find it enjoyable to compare lists with others (*although parents who share Spotify with kids have valid gripes when their lists are tainted by their kids who listen to the soundtrack to Encanto five thousand times).  Steam decided to join the fun and created a personalized "re-play" list (here's mine).  While their list is a fun way to look back at what I played this year, it doesn't necessarily capture what I truly enjoyed...just what I played the most.  So, here are my thoughts and personal picks of the games that released in 2022.

The Game I Played the Most

Ugh, irradiated space rocks are the worst!

Two Point Campus topped my list and there's nothing surprising about this fact.  I love the Two Point games and the release of Campus was a pleasant addition to 2022.  Campus doesn't change the Two Point formula much--the signature goofy humor and semi-serious management aspects from Hospital are still there, but in a college setting.  The Space Academy DLC added in three new campuses and new space themed courses, rooms, and challenges, so I saw myself returning to the game after I had completed the 12 base campuses.  If you enjoyed Two Point Hospital or are just looking for a relaxing, light hearted management sim, give it a try.  (If you haven't played in awhile, it's worth going back to check out the very affordable DLC and the new holiday themed challenges)

The Best Game to Relax To

One of my Dorf Romantik maps.

As I've gotten older, I've definitely lost my desire to come home after work to even more stress.  I'm always on the look out for something that's low stress for times when I just want to throw on a podcast (or some music) and let the stress of the day wash away.  I found myself frequently drawn to Dorf Romantik--even though it has a bit of a strange name, it's a cute little puzzle game about piecing together random tiles to create cities, forests, and other features.  Even though it looks relatively simple, figuring out the best placement for tiles provides challenge.  Ultimately your goal is to keep growing your map, but if you fail it doesn't feel that bad...and you get to start a brand new map!  Each map winds up feeling different--sometimes you build large cities; other times you have sprawling railroads or huge forests.  

Surprising Indies

Even though they didn't crack the top of my Steam re-play list, many of the games that I remember the most are the many unique indie games.  In particular, two of them made a big impact on my 2022.  Strange Horticulture offers up a novel experience in the detective/mystery genre--it's a game where you have to identify and use plants to solve a supernatural mystery.  While it sounds fairly bizarre, it turned out to be a lot of fun (in fact, I need to go back and replay it sometime seeing as how there are multiple endings).

Spending each dice is Citizen Sleeper is a choice.

Citizen Sleeper was another indie that I wound up finding myself truly enjoying.  The gameplay is so deceptively simple--the dice-based system is totally ingenious--but figuring out how to best spend those daily resources and which path you want to pursue...well, it turns out to be a bit agonizing.  Like Strange Horticulture, it's also a game that has many paths and plenty of replayability (in fact, they are still releasing additional content for it).

I would highly recommend checking out both games (and, the good news is that you can buy both of them relatively cheaply).

My Personal GOTY

You can pet the dog (and cats too!) in Pentiment.

When the big sales roll around, I generally find myself taking advantage of those sweet, sweet deals.  The most recent (and currently still ongoing) holiday sale is no exception.  I bought exactly one game...and it turned out to be absolutely amazing!  Pentiment is a point-and-click adventure/mystery game set in a beautifully illustrated, semi-medieval setting.  Being a history teacher, I found the historical setting to be very genuine and the events that shaped the world play out in the game (in a much more personal way than simply reading about it in a history book).  The story is choice based and it's one of those games where your choices are final--there aren't any convenient saves to reload.  It's so well-written and engaging that making those choices is extremely difficult--I constantly found myself torn between the varying factions in the story.  The story plays out beautifully and I immediately wanted to start over and make different choices.  And, the best part, you can pet the dogs and cats!  (I plan on writing up a full review for Pentiment, so look for that in the near future).

Let's hope our 2023's are filled with lots of fun games!  Happy New Year to all!

(**Something weird happened with the formatting on this post and I can't figure out what it is.  Please forgive the weird white background on half the post!)

Murder in a Murder Cult--Paradise Killer

As 2022 wraps up I've been looking back at the games I played this year and reflecting on their shared (or completely disparate) features.  A couple of games stood out on that list for their absolutely bonkers stories and/or settings--one is the game Norco (read about it here) and the other is Paradise Killer.  I became interested in Paradise Killer after genuinely enjoying Citizen Sleeper (another excellent game published by Fellow Traveller).

What is it?

An open-world mystery/detective game.  The premise of the game is that you play as Lady Love Dies, an investigator and semi-immortal member of a strange murder cult called the Syndicate.  The Syndicate is ruled by a council of anime-like characters who wind up murdered.  Your job, as Lady Love Dies, is to figure out exactly who murdered the leaders of the Syndicate and bring them to justice.

My full playthrough clocked in at 15.4 hours--I would estimate that if you wanted to try to fully explore and find collectibles it could be closer to 20 hours.

Pros:

+ If you want a unique setting and story, look no further.  The Syndicate is a murder cult that kidnaps humans in order to sacrifice them en masse in order to resurrect a set of lost gods.  Unfortunately, the cult hasn't been very successful and has only managed to bring back one god.  As a result they are continually starting and ending each cycle of murder and seeking to create the "perfect" island.  The game takes place on island #24 which was on the verge of ending when the entire Syndicate council was murdered.  The island is filled with statues to bizarre gods and mundane structures to house the "citizens" (aka--the murder victims) and the strange group of Syndicate members.

+ Exploration based gameplay.  Most of the gameplay consists of wandering around the island and looking for any clues.  There are collectible items to find as well as a type of currency called "blood shards" which can be used to purchase certain items (basically cans of soda) and pay for fast travel.  Each clue you find leads you toward a certain character who might be tied to the clue and requires you to interrogate those characters.  There's some very light puzzling in the form of "Nightmare Computers" which serve as locks to certain areas/items.

+ The log system in the game is very handy and does a great job of keeping track of all the clues, alibis, and information that you find.

+ The music is fun and has a sort of 80's vibe.  One of the collectible items is cassette tapes that play certain music while you're exploring.

+ Strange, anime-style characters.  If that's your vibe, it'll be right up your alley.

+ The ending/solving the mystery is very satisfactory.  I won't spoil anything, but at the end of the game a trial is held and seeing all the pieces fall into place feels good.

Cons:

- It took me awhile to really settle into the game.  I started it up and it just felt too unstructured and strange, so I set it back down and didn't pick it up for quite awhile.  Then, I gave it another go and it finally started to be more enjoyable.

- It can be slightly annoying to continually flit back and forth between characters as you find clues.  However, it is a necessary to befriend the characters because as you build up your relationship with them they will often share valuable clues.  Find plenty of blood shards...you'll need them for fast travel.

- There's no "aha!" moment where you feel like you've really solved the mystery.  Basically, I just tried to clear out all my leads and when I realized there wasn't anyone else to talk to that it was time to hold the trial.  It can feel a bit unsettling, but once you're at that point it's time for the trial.  (Don't worry, if you've been thorough enough everything comes together in the trial)

- For all the "non-readers" out there...there's a tiny bity of voice acting, but it's mostly text-based.

Recommendation:

If you like open-world exploration based gameplay and solving mysteries, you'll probably enjoy Paradise Killer.  Even though it took me a bit to really get hooked into the story, I did find myself wanting to figure it out.  Paradise Killer frequently goes on sale and is definitely worth a play.

Space Rocks!

Two Point Campus dropped its first DLC, the sci-fi/space themed Space Academy, and I've managed to finish up all three of the new campuses (and, to three star level, because I can't make myself accept anything less than three stars).  So, is the new DLC worth dropping $9.99?  Definitely, yes.

Pros:

Humanities ain't about history.

+ Three new sci-fi-tastic levels to master.  Each level/campus introduces the new courses available in the expansion--Astrology (training to be an astronaut, not learning the ins and outs of being a Capricorn); Cosmology (learning to build rockets to reach the cosmos); Space Academy (training for the future leaders of space exploration); Space Knight School (it's kind of like regular knight training...just with laser batons); Cheesemoongery (let's just say that the cheese for all those Cheesy Gubbins has to come from somewhere...and, it's better not to know); and Humanities (it's not about history, but teaching aliens how to act human).  The new courses are silly and add-in the typical Two Point humor.

+ A plethora of new sci-fi themed objects to make your campus feel more...space-y.  I was most excited about the three new varieties of plants, but there are also new decorations, new entertainment items, and many, many others.  The DLC also adds the Time Tourism club--another extracurricular activity for your students to join.  If you want to really spruce up your campus you can create a student union that features the new sci-fi convention booth--a fun event where students can meet their favorite sci-fi characters (including Roderick Cushion).

+ The goals for each campus aren't too difficult, but three starring the last one is a real doozy.  It was slightly annoying, but do-able with some patience and lots of training.  It's nice that it was somewhat more challenging.

+ Holiday events/challenges.  (*This isn't really a part of the DLC, but if you're re-visiting the game you probably haven't checked them out).  There are two Halloween themed challenges and one holiday/Christmas challenge map.  Each challenge has a different set of goals and takes place over a relatively short amount of time.  They're fun, short and actually quite challenging.

Cons:

The tell-tale blue glow of irradiated space rocks.

- Irradiated space rocks are very, very annoying.  A new janitorial task involves falling space rocks.  Initially, the rocks are a good thing as they have a chance to be mined for cash, but then a different kind of rock is introduced that can give students a condition called meteormites which must be treated in the medical room.  The third campus is particularly plagued by irradiated rocks and students are almost constantly infected.  Word of advice--hire a large number of janitors and be prepared to build multiple medical rooms to treat the constant stream of infected students.

- The third star on the last campus is basically an exercise in patience.  The humanities course is listed as "very hard" and graduating 25 A+ students took a very, very long time.  Combine this with the challenges of students being almost constantly infected with meteormites (which does impact their happiness and thus, their learning rate).  I enjoyed that it was challenging, but will admit that I was on the verge of giving up (and, maybe I needed to tweak my strategy more).

- Some players are reporting crashing issues.  I didn't have any and am not sure which platform they are talking about.  The devs did release a statement saying that the Switch release was having some issues.  The biggest issue I had was students getting stuck (something that is also an issue in the base game). I only had a few students who got stuck.

Recommendation:

For only $9.99 you can enjoy more Two Point Campus.  That's a win in my book and, I found the sci-fi theme to be a nice, goofy addition to the base game.  Don't expect anything that's too different from the base experience though.

Spacing Out with Two Point Campus: Space Academy

In what felt like a relatively short amount of time, it was announced that the first DLC for Two Point Campus would be the space themed Space Academy.  As someone who enjoys the Two Point games I would've been excited regardless, but the space academy theme just hits right  I love space and I love Two Point...a perfect combination!

Students wait to check out a time tourism club activity.

The Space Academy DLC adds in several new courses (I'm only on the second campus, so I haven't quite seen all of them yet) including: astrology (in typical Two Point fashion, it's not what it sounds like), cosmic expansion (a sort of rocket building course), space knight school (where armored space knights duel it out with laser batons), and space academy (training the future leaders of all these outer space activities).  There are also a plethora of new items--excitingly, new, fun plants!--and even a new club for students to join--the "time tourism" club which notably features the "yesterizer" from the Two Point Hospital DLC.  New events can also impact your campus--namely falling moon rocks that have different effects depending on the map.  Training your janitors in space rock mining is important to either cash in on the riches contained in the rocks or to quickly clear them (on the second map they can cause students to become ill).

I've been having a good time with the new DLC and the space theme is fun.  The first campus featured frequently falling moon rocks which meant that my janitorial staff was very busy clearing them away.  The upside of these moon rocks is that most of them are valuable and can greatly help supplement your campus income.  Some campus plots can be unlocked by accomplishing a specific set of objectives which is a nice change.  The second campus introduced a new event--the space convention which requires a special, new kind of booth (akin to the stage in the student union).  This means you can either build one huge student union with both a stage and a convention booth or two separate unions.  The second campus is also fairly spread out, but luckily you can research and build a teleporter that allows students to teleport between locations.  There have been a few bugs--namely students becoming stuck (something that can sometimes be a problem in the base game), but for the most part it has worked well.

If you enjoyed Two Point Campus, I would recommend checking out the Space Academy DLC.  It's only $8.99 and it adds in three new maps, lots of new items, new courses, a new club, and new student archetypes.  It's the perfect way to hop back in to one of my favorite franchises.

Pew-Pew (Laser Noises)--Star Wars: Squadrons

Free games?  Yes, please!  Although, I will be the first to admit that the number of freebies that I've actually played are probably significantly outnumbered by those that are lingering unplayed in my various gaming libraries.  I decided to snag Epic Games' latest big name freebie--Star Wars: Squadrons.  As someone who grew up playing a slew of various Star Wars games, notably including X-Wing and TIE Fighter, I was excited to see Squadrons offered at the sweet $0 price tag.  I've played through the singleplayer story campaign and I've uncharacteristically been tooling around with the multiplayer mode.  I've gotta say, I'm greatly enjoying my time with Squadrons.

*Not my image, but a taste of what being in the cockpit is like.

Pros:

+ It looks amazing.  The graphics are great (and I'm sure they're even better for the leets with 4K) and the environments in the game are unique and very cool.  Unlike the classic flying games, you're not just flying through the vastness of space (though much filled with a conglomeration of enemy and friendly ships), and each zone features plenty of floating hazards to make combat a much less straightforward affair.  There are zones featuring the remnants of a fractured moon--you zip around in your ship with a giant, glowing wreck scattering chunks of planet all over the place or you're buzzing through the many jutting towers of a space station.

+ The singleplayer story is enjoyable and features a storyline that bounces back and forth between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire.  The story itself is a pretty stock-standard Star Wars kind of deal--the Empire is doing something big/bad, the Rebel Alliance is trying to counter them, there's betrayal, there's friendship...you know, right?  The missions themselves have varied goals, so you're not just in a dogfight, but you might be trying to take down a capital ship, or to target special systems on a space station.  One aspect of the story that is fun is the fact that you can chat with your squadmates between missions--it's not like you're clicking dialogue, but it does give you some background about them and both sides feature memorable characters.  All-in-all, the singleplayer campaign probably clocks in around 10-15 hours.

+ Classic Star Wars fighters to choose from.  You've got your Rebel Alliance ships--X-Wings, A-Wings, Y-Wings; and your Imperial fighters--the classic TIE, the TIE interceptor, and the TIE bomber.  In singleplayer you don't always get to choose which ship you're going to be flying and each has its own specific strengths and weaknesses.  You can also personalize your loadout on each ship to fit your own playstyle preferences.

+ Two multiplayer modes to choose from--the Co-Op "fleet battle" mode pits your team against a team from the opposing faction to see who can destroy an enemy capital ship first; or "dogfight" mode which pits two groups of five fighters against each other.  I've steadfastly avoided the "fleet battle" mode but the dogfight option is a lot of fun.  Unlike the singleplayer campaign you can choose your ship before every fight and personalize your loadout.  The multiplayer also offers up a few other options for ships--support ships (U-Wing/Reaper) and specialized ships (B-Wing/TIE Defender).  To win the match teams must be the first to score 30 kills or be ahead when the timer runs out (I think it's 15 minutes, but I have yet to be in a match where the time expires).  Matches are quick and generally enjoyable--even when you're getting stomped.

There aren't any microtransactions and you earn experience for each multiplayer match you complete.  The rewards for levelling up are requisition which allows you to unlock specialized options for your ships (things like different weapon or missile types) and a currency that is used for cosmetics.  There are tons of cosmetic options both for your character and your ship.  The system is not pay-to-win in any way.

And, the best part, you can completely mute all chat!

+ VR!  I don't have VR, but if you do, you can pop on your little headset and blast ships in stunning detail.

Cons:

- Character creation is pretty basic and once you start playing multiplayer you get the feeling you're playing with a bunch of clones.  Luckily, once you start earning enough cosmetic currency you can start to make your pilots more unique.  Character creation consists of choosing from a set list of pre-made faces...and that's really it.

- Matchmaking in multiplayer can be a bit odd.  I've been in matches with players who have a level over 1000 and people who are level 1.  Since it's an older game don't expect for the playing field to always be exactly even (generally, it's still enjoyable though--plus, matches are so short that if you're getting stomped, it's over quickly).

- Nesting launchers.  Yes, you will have to use Origin even when launching through Steam or Epic.  Ick.

Recommendation:

I've had a great time playing Squadrons and as someone who avoids multiplayer like the plague, I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I've enjoyed playing it.  If you were lucky enough to snag it while it was free, awesome!  I'm not sure I would pay the full $39.99 for it, but it does seem to frequently go on sale.  If you're a fan of Star Wars flying games and can grab it on the cheap, give it a go.

Cashing in on those Sweet Holiday Deals

I managed to mostly contain my unhealthy impulse to buy all the things during the crush of Holiday themed sales.  (**Some of those "hot deals" aren't really that great anyway) It was stupidly surprising when I got a notification that almost everything on my Steam wishlist was on sale.  I decided to snatch Paradise Killer (by Fellow Traveler--who made Citizen Sleeper that I very much enjoyed) because it was only $7.99 and it has good reviews.  I haven't given it a whirl quite yet, but I plan to spend some quality time detecting in the near future.

What have I been doing with my holiday free time?  I finally finished up a monster playthrough of Assassin's Creed: Origins (base game + both DLC's) and realized that every time I finish an AC game I feel nothing but a huge sense of relief to be done with it.  I think I need a healthier way to play (I always have to do all the location goals and it makes things feel way more repetitive than they should) those games.  They're just too huge to try to do everything!  One of my favorite parts of the games are the afterlife/mythology themed content (which usually gets tacked on as DLC, but Valhalla has some in the base game).  It's always fun to see the creativity and beauty in those areas.

I've spent more time than I care to admit puttering around with Car Mechanic Simulator 2018.  There's something I find highly enjoyable about fixing up fake broken vehicles.  Just find a good podcast (I could definitely recommend a few) and enjoy the experience of making a rust bucket into a shiny, functioning vehicle.

Free is the best price.

There's one part of the holiday deals that isn't so bad--the free games!  If you haven't already (and it's up your alley), grab Star Wars: Squadrons free from the Epic Games store until December 1st.  As a kid, my brother and I consumed a great many of the classic Star Wars games including X-Wing and Tie Fighter, so Squadrons is the perfect opportunity to relive a modern version of those experiences.  I haven't spent a ton of time with it yet, but I did play a couple of missions and plan on playing through the story missions.  I don't know if I'll touch the multiplayer, but even if you just want to play the story, you can't beat free!  The major downside is one of my pet peeves--the Russian nesting doll-like system of launchers that is required.  Yes, you have to install and run it through Origin...and have the Epic store open too.

I hope everyone has had a happy and relaxing start to the holiday season!

There's Nothing Like a Nice, Comfy Simulator Game

I wrapped up the main story in Assassin's Creed: Origins and decided to take a glance at my Epic Games library.  I have a tendency to readily grab up any freebie games that I'm semi-interested in and then promptly forget about them.  After taking a gander, I decided to take a chance on Car Mechanic Simulator 2018.

Simulator games aren't everyone's cup o' tea--why play a game about boring real-life tasks?  Maybe I'm just weird and boring, but I find them oddly enjoyable.  I have no special interest in cars and most of my knowledge about them extends to detailed subjects like when to get the oil changed.  In Car Mechanic Simulator you are the proprietor of a tiny garage who is just trying to make a buck.  Clients call into your garage with a variety of automobile related issues.  Your job is to diagnose the problems and then fix them.  It's a pretty simple point-and-click affair and the main challenge comes from trying to be more efficient--as you gain experience you gain knowledge about what might be causing the problems and can address them more quickly (and without potentially dismantling way more stuff that you need to).  As you gain experience you also earn experience points that can be used to unlock improved diagnostic and repair abilities--you can install parts more quickly or unlock special tools that can help diagnose specific systems.  At certain points you can also unlock expansions to your garage that provide more space or improved facilities.

Periodically, special story cars will appear in your potential job queue.  Taking story jobs seems to serve to orient players with specific systems in the vehicle.  As you progress, more complex jobs appear that require you to work on the body of the car or the interior.  Each job also has a chance to provide a barn map or a crate of parts.  Barn maps unlock special locations where you can salvage parts and also choose to buy fixer-upper types of cars that require a lot of work, but have a potentially much higher resale value.

There have been a few minorly irritating factors--the tutorial at the beginning of the game is pretty useless--all it does is teach you about the tools in your garage and not anything about the vehicles or tasks you will be performing.  The in-game music is a bit much (you can choose from several different radio stations) and I would recommend turning it off.

Overall, for a game that I received for free, I'm having a pleasant time dismantling vehicles.  I haven't quite unlocked all the features and I would like to try to fully restore a car.  I feel like I've gained some minor knowledge about cars and how they work (I'm not going to be trying to take my own car apart any time soon!) and it's just nice to throw on a relaxing podcast.

If you were lucky enough to grab Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 for free, give it a whirl, it's an enjoyable simulator that's good for relaxing.  It's super cheap on Steam, only $4.59 right now (it's on sale!).

Adios Australia and Hello Ancient Egypt

Sadly, I've given up on Dinkum.  I was briefly excited when a new villager FINALLY decided to move to my town.  Things seemed to be moving in a positive direction as I was also able to unlock the plans for the repair bench...only to then realize that just having the bench is basically useless--you still need repair kits (something that I thought were sold at the general store...but are a specialty item sold by the same illusive character who I couldn't track down for the repair bench).  Even then, the repair mechanics for tools kind of suck.  One repair kit is fairly expensive--25,000 dinks.  Yeah, they do repair all the tools in your inventory...but why?  Why can't it just be simple and you can use readily available materials to repair the tools you use most frequently?  Ugh, I give up.  Weirdly, I found myself gravitating toward Assassin's Creed: Origins.  I've been in an AC friendly mood here lately for some reason--and I love Origins; in my opinion, it's the best of the RPG-style AC games.  Here's why:

1.) The Order

Every AC game has its giant conspiracy of very murderable baddies.  The baddies in Origins are sooo much badder than in Odyssey or Valhalla.  Sure, there are fewer of them, but at least each of them gets a bit of backstory that makes you understand why you should feel nothing but a sense of glee as you guide Bayek to stealthily stab them.  They kill kids, are corrupt, evil and all played a role in the death of Bayek's son.  I like the fact that Bayek gets a chance for a final confrontation in the Duat and you get the satisfaction of watching them all get dragged to their ultimate judgment.  Origins does revenge the best.

I love a good ancient Egyptian temple.

2.) Size isn't everything

I find Origins to be juuuust the right size--it's not as overwhelmingly huge as Odyssey or Valhalla.  Maybe part of it is the setting--personally, I think ancient Egypt offers up a variety in landscapes and biomes to be more engaging than the other games.  It just doesn't feel like it's overstuffed with too many map symbols and as a completionist I don't find myself wanting to do self-harm because I'm sneaking through my 5 millionth military outpost.

3.) Not too much modern mumbo-jumbo

There are some divided opinions in the AC world about how much of the modern story should appear in the games--some people like having the Layla/Abstergo/apocalypse/Isu/who the frak actually knows storyline.  I am not one of those people and feel like the modern stuff distracts from the story and I would rather have fewer interludes that pull you out of the ancient world.  Origins has a few moments, but it's minimally distracting.

If you're someone who hasn't checked out the Assassin's Creed franchise, I would encourage you to start with Origins.  It can be found relatively cheaply (and is totally worth the $12) and offers up, in my opinion, the best RPG-style AC experience.  Hours and hours of highly enjoyable stabbing right at your fingertips...what could be better?

Finally! A New Villager!

Even though I was on the fence about continuing with Dinkum, I decided that I would try to play it in shorter bouts and see if my experience improved.  It did!  A new villager (and fortunately one who sells something useful) finally decided to move to my island.  Rayne, the farm goods merchant, joined my town...now, population 3!  Now I finally have a source of seeds and can spend more time farming.

Finally!

I think I'm going to pop in and out with Dinkum and see if I can't attract some more residents--it feels like I'm finally making some headway.  I still think some systems could use some work--I'd like to be able to repair my tools (still can't!) and I wish visitors would stay for slightly more time.  I also built two houses that seem pretty pointless.

In between Dinkum sessions I've been replaying Assassin's Creed: Origins.  Origins is my favorite of the RPG-style AC games and I still think it's the best of them.  There's just something about Egypt that makes it so much more interesting than some of the other settings (namely dark ages England in Valhalla).  Plus, Bayek is a great character.

Aussie Pondering

Last week I wrote about how I decided to check out the early access Animal Crossing/Stardew Valley-esque mashup that is Dinkum.  I've spent a bit more time playing and I've found myself feeling pretty torn about it.  Sure, it's cute, but I think it has some pacing issues that need to be addressed in the full release.

My character and my sparsely decorated house.

Pros:

+ It's very cute.  The villagers, the animals, the ability to decorate and personalize your town--it all has a pleasant vibe that is a nice break from more serious, demanding titles.  The Australian setting is novel and adds a fun element.

+ There are tons of tasks to do during each in-game day.  Each new day includes a list of three optional "daily tasks" that can be completed and that provide a special currency that is used to buy new licenses that allow you to improve your tools, expand your inventory, or gain new abilities.  You can spend your days foraging for resources, fishing, exploring, catching bugs...or just creating materials and personalizing your town.

+ A huge variety of clothing items to personalize your character.  It's really fun to see all the new options and it's possible to find (or purchase) new items almost daily.

+ Controls are easy to learn and intuitive.  The only thing I had a problem with was the emote system--I couldn't get it to work (which meant I couldn't whistle--something that is used to call farm animals to your character).

+ It has run like a charm and I've had no issues with bugs/crashing.  It seems like the kind of game that would probably run on a potato PC too.

+ Collectibles and a milestone/goal-related system to keep you working toward accomplishments.

Cons:

- I've played for 19 hours and I've gotten bored with it.  I'll admit that creativity based games and sandbox style games aren't really my favorite, but I think the current version of the game has some big pacing issues.  Within a few days of your initial arrival on the island the store owner wants to move in--this is basically a mandatory part of the story because he sells the tools you need to be able to do all those daily tasks I mentioned above.  So, you unlock the tools you need and can start really collecting materials and that's fine for awhile.  Then, your next resident villager arrives--the museum keeper.  You spend some time gathering materials for the museum and paying off the debt.  The museum is a place to collect the bugs and fish that you find on the island--and, again, it's something fun to focus on for awhile.  After this though, there's a serious lack of villagers who want to move to the island and it's seemingly impossible to make much progress on getting them to want to move in--they visit for a day or two at most and you can slightly improve your relationship with them, but it's not enough to convince them to stay.  Then, you don't really know when they're going to visit again and someone new shows up and you go through the whole process again.

Sure, you can spend some time building your own house and extra houses for the town, but it feels very aimless.  One particular thing I've found frustrating is the fact that you need a certain villager to move in before you can learn the plan for the repair bench for your tools--you just have to repeatedly use your tools until they break and then buy new ones.  I've unlocked licenses to improve my tools, but it doesn't seem worth it if I can't repair the improved ones and have to keep crafting them over and over.  This has really stymied my progress because I need better tools to be able to mine new metals and chop hardwood.  It's possible that I've just gotten a bit unlucky because the character who grants the plan for the repair table has only visited once or twice (visitors are random).  It's also hard to farm or raise chooks (chickens) when the villagers who sell seeds or animal feed appear randomly.

I think the game could be massively improved if it was made clearer what you need to do to get villagers to move in (it mentions befriending them and spending money in their shops) and if they visited for longer periods of time.  Hitting this seemingly progress blocking wall has turned me off from wanting to play--which is a disappointment because it is a cute game.

Recommendation:

If you're the type of gamer who is perfectly content grinding out materials and having the ability to personalize environments--I think you'll enjoy Dinkum.  If you're someone who wants something with more specific quest-style tasks or a clear path of progression, there's a good chance you'll end up getting bored.  Dinkum is the years-long work of a single developer and what this person has created is amazing and deserves the praise and love that it has received from many fans.

Dinkin' Around with Dinkum

I decided to bite on a new game and have spent some time playing the Animal Crossing/Stardew Valley inspired Dinkum.  I'm still trying to work out my exact feelings but, for an early access game, it seems to be in a very playable and enjoyable state.  If you're in the mood for something nice and relaxing, Dinkum is a great fall gaming option.

My character doesn't have a permanent home...yet.

What I like (so far):

+ The controls have been very intuitive and easy to learn.  There's no need for a tutorial so players can dive right in.

+ It's set in Australia so there are lots of cute (and dangerous) Aussie creatures that populate your island.

+The map allows you to place and remove custom markers--I wish every game did this (and yeah, there are plenty that do).  It's nice to be able to easily mark the location of a resource so that you can go back later.

+ There aren't a ton of character customization options, but I still felt like I could design a unique, cute character.

+ I haven't had a single crash or bug yet. (*knock on wood)

+ There are plenty of activities to choose from--fishing, catching bugs, foraging for items in the environment, mining....I'm sure I'll unlock even more.

What I don't like:

- I've unlocked licenses for several activities but can't utilize them until I'm able to buy the correct deed and build the correct building.  (Although, it does look like you get new visitors to your island fairly frequently and can somewhat utilize their services)

- To place a new building you need to pay off the debt you incur from buying the deed.  So far it has felt like a real slog to pay off my debts.  It's likely that I haven't discovered the best ways to make money yet, but the time between building a new structure and then paying it off is sort of...weirdly un-anchored.

I'm hoping to spend some more time with Dinkum and see if I can't unlock my inner creativity and design the ultimate Aussie island paradise.

Games to be Excited For...or Not

I'm curiously monitoring the status of several games that I feel optimistic about and also cautiously side-eyeing news about some others.  I'm not really playing anything new (sadly) and due to increased costs thanks to global inflation, I'm trying to limit my non-essential purchases.  It's the perfect storm for thinking about games...while not buying them (insert sad face here).

Feelin' Optimistic

Check out the cute slimes!

1.) Slime Rancher 2.  It recently released in Early Access on Steam and the reviews have been sitting in the "overwhelmingly positive" range since day 1.  Slime Rancher is by far my favorite game about collecting virtual poop to become a millionaire so when I heard there was going to be a follow up--I was pretty stoked.  Slime Rancher is one of my favorite laid back games--it's packed full of super cute slimes, chickadoos, and repetitive activities that are weirdly satisfying.  The newest entry has introduced new, even cuter slimes (umm bunny slimes!) and promises to feature more poop ranching fun times.  I'm going to continue watching the reviews and wait until full release to start the next chapter of my slime ranching journey.

2.) Cook, Serve, Forever.  I have a soft spot for the hectic cooking simulator series and so far, everything I've seen of the upcoming game looks to build on the formula and make it even better.  The food looks amazing (like always--you don't want to play it on an empty stomach because you will find yourself painfully aware of that state) and there looks to be more of a storyline in the next game.  I'm hoping it pulls some of the elements from the original game (building up your restaurant), the second game (working shifts at other restaurant chains), and the third game (having "to-go" orders and the talent point system).  The release date currently says "early 2023," so we'll see what happens.

The Cautious Side-Eye

1.) Just this morning I had a strange urge to take a return Viking journey to Dark Ages England in Assassin's Creed:  Valhalla.  I had to take a mental moment to remind myself that after my first epic playthrough (in which I did all the things--to the tune of a playthrough that was easily over 100 hours long) that I need an AC vacation.  Recently Ubisoft announced a new spate of AC games and they appear to be making some divergent choices for the series.  Some players have lamented that the newer, more RPG-oriented games have veered too far away from the stealth-action games of the past.  It appears that they're trying to keep everyone happy--the more action-y types and the RPG-esque fans by releasing two different games.  Assassin's Creed: Mirage looks to be the "classic" AC-style game while Assassin's Creed: Red seems to be the next entry in the RPG-oriented series.  For me, the AC formula has gotten a bit bland--there are things that I enjoy, but they get drowned out by the absolute overly-gargantuan size of the open-world.

2.) CD Projekt is buuuusssyyy!  It was already widely known that a Witcher sequel was in development, but they also announced several other games set in the Witcher universe as well as a full sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.  Oh, and there's the upcoming Cyberpunk expansion that is going to be released next year.  Look, I'm a big CD Projekt Red fan, so any news from them is exciting...with that said though, I think everyone has to be a bit cautious after the Cyberpunk release debacle.  I'm really hoping that they can redeem themselves (it's worth mentioning that Cyberpunk has been seeing a big bump in activity thanks to the release of the apparently good anime series on Netflix).  Some of the Witcher titles sound a bit odd to me--one supposedly will involve multiplayer, which is something I'm a bit skeptical of.

3.) The 40-series GPU's.  Didn't they just release the 30-series?  There's so much to side-eye--the price, the ginormous size, and the need for a healthily large PSU.  Hopefully this means the prices of the 30-series cards start dropping.  Or, if you're feeling adventurous you could always buy one of the "gently used" former crypto-mining cards (you should definitely check out the video of someone spraying a rack of them down with a hose to "clean" them).  The cost of building a PC just keeps going up--also, sad face.

Have a great week dreaming of cute slimes!

Being a Good Robot in Citizen Sleeper (Spoilers!)

I was pleasantly surprised by the numerous paths and choices available in the very cool, highly enjoyable RPG Citizen Sleeper.  One path in particular stood out to me and I decided to roll with it (even though there were clearly other things that I had missed or hadn't fully experienced).  For my first character I decided to roll an engineer and so found myself gravitating toward the shipyards because of the modifier I received.  It was at the shipyards where I first encountered the father-daughter duo of Lem and Mina.  (Spoilers ahead for one of the endings!)

It was a bit odd to encounter a large, burly engineer holding a small child at a shipyard, so I couldn't help but to want to approach them.  Lem is at the yard because he's hoping to get work on the colony ship that is being constructed--he reveals a juicy little tidbit too--workers who help build the ship will be eligible to be entered into a lottery for a spot on the ship when it is completed.  He desperately hopes to find a spot on the ship for himself and Mina.  Only...Mina is part of the problem--there's no one to watch her while Lem is working.  Here, you have the choice to volunteer to watch Mina while Lem takes a shift in the shipyard.  It's a bit awkward--the robot babysitting scenario, but if you make a few correct choices the shift passes and Mina's relatively content.

After successfully completing your first babysitting gig you are presented with the option to spend some of your daily dice watching Mina while Lem works on the ship.  It takes a few shifts, but after Lem has worked a few days he has saved up enough money to hire someone so your babysitting gig ends.  The downside of spending time watching Mina is that you don't get paid, so that's something to consider.

The best way for my character to make money was working in the shipyards, so I spent quite a bit of time helping construct the colony ship.  Plus, there was always the chance that my character could be entered in the lottery.  It takes quite some time (but much less with the engineering modifier) but the ship is finally completed and ready for departure.

You can meet Lem and Mina at the shipyards where you attend the lottery drawing.  A large, rowdy crowd of workers has also turned up and even before the drawing happens the scene has an anxious feeling.  The drawing starts and you immediately notice that none of the workers are celebrating as the numbers are called...who is actually getting picked?  It's here that you realize that the only people getting picked are the elite, executive workers--the corporation had no intention of ever actually letting the workers on the ship!  Go figure...but Lem's dreams are crushed as you convince him to leave before the violence starts.

Several days later you can re-visit Lem and Mina's house.  It's a hot mess--dirty and unkempt--and it's apparent that Lem has sunken into a bit of a depression about the lottery.  He reveals that he isn't actually Mina's father and that he was part of a military operation being run by a corporation to capture colonists who had escaped from corporate worlds.  His ship attacked a colonist ship and Mina was the only survivor (thanks to someone who sealed her into a locker before the ship lost all its air in the attack).  Lem adopted Mina, quit the corporate military and wound up on the station.  You can talk to Lem and cheer him up.

Once you've explored the Spoke you can find the completed colony ship moored there.  If you visit the ship you discover that it's under heavy guard--there's not much of a chance of sneaking aboard, so you need to find something more legitimate.  Earlier in the game I encountered a man in Lowend named Castor who seems to know a lot about everything that is going on.  You can sell him data in exchange for some decent items (a ship mind and a vial of stabilizer).  After you approach the moored ship, Castor approaches you with a proposal--he can get you forged ID's that will get Lem and Mina spots on the ship, but there's a catch--your character has to steal data from a Celis Corporation ship moored in the shipyards (something that's a bit risky) AND he injects your character with a tracker and tells you that you need to be aboard the ship too.

Stealing the data went smoothly and then it was only a matter of time to wait for the ship to be ready to depart.  After several cycles you can visit Lem and Mina and share the good news--Lem is ecstatic!  As you arrive at the ship it's a bit tense as they scan the ID's...will they actually work, or will you get caught?  Everything goes smoothly and it's here that you can make the decision to stay on the station or to board the ship with Lem and Mina.  The thought popped into my head--what about stabilizer?  If you get on the ship, won't your character die because they won't have access to the drugs they need?

The story ends on a divided note--the colony ship sails through space for decades but never arrives at any planet.  Lem grows old and dies; Mina grows up and is with your character as its systems slowly shut down over time.  It's not really a good ending, but it's not really a bad ending.

I felt good about helping Lem and Mina achieve their dream of leaving the station on the colony ship.  It was a bit of a downer to find out that the ship never actually arrives at a planet.  It felt like a bit of self-sacrifice knowing that your character would die without the stabilizer.  I've resisted the urge to look up all the potential endings and am looking forward to starting up a new playthrough so I can make different choices.  

Versatile Space Adventure--Citizen Sleeper

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how I ran into a list of game recommendations in an odd place--namely National Public Radio (NPR).  Despite being a bit skeptical of the source I decided to check out some of the titles on their list...and, guess what?  So far they've been 2/2!  Both games I've decided to check out have been winners (**see my review of Norco).  Last night I finished my first playthrough of Citizen Sleeper and was very impressed.

What is it?

A story-based RPG of the more textual variety.  The story centers around your character a "sleeper"--a robot with a mind that is the emulation of a human mind--who has escaped from a strictly controlled corporate world and crash landed on an independent space station.  Your goal is to survive, to elude the corporation who isn't happy to have lost its property, and to find a path for the future.

Pros:

+ The writing is top notch.  The characters you meet are interesting and have many layers--they're not simply "good" or "bad" but have complex motivations.  I know that some people are turned off by games that require a lot of reading, but the writing is so good in Sleeper that it's very enjoyable.

A daily activity at the shipyard.

+ The gameplay is deceptively simple but requires making many choices about how to spend your limited daily resources.  Your character starts each day (called a "cycle") with a certain number of dice (the number of dice you receive is dependent on the condition of your body--something that is a key part of the story).  The numbers on the dice reflect the probability of a certain outcome--a low number die (1 or 2) means you have a 50% chance at a neutral outcome or a 50% chance at a negative outcome; higher numbered dice increase your chance of getting a positive or neutral outcome and decrease (or, in the case of a 5 or 6--completely eliminate) the chance of a negative outcome.

The map is scattered with many opportunities to explore the station and discover more locations or more about the station itself.  Each activity you choose requires you to use your dice and many activities require you to spend multiple cycles to unlock them.  As you unlock locations you run into the cast of colorful characters who populate the station--they offer up storylines you can choose to participate in (or not).

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed trying to puzzle out how best to spend my dice every day.

+ Very replayable.  I finished up my first playthrough in about 6 hours.  That seems short but there were many other options or paths I could've taken that would result in different outcomes.

Another factor that contributes to the replayability factor is the option to choose different classes.  Each class has a certain set of talents which add a positive modifier to your dice rolls for certain activities--for example, I chose engineer for my first playthrough so I started with a +1 modifier to all engineering activities.  Since I had that positive modifier on engineering activities, I tended to seek them out--my character spent quite a bit of time in the shipyard.  Throughout the game you earn experience points and can earn new talent points that can improve the talents you have and offer special skills as a bonus or can be used to unlock other abilities.

I am looking forward to choosing a different class for my next playthrough and experiencing new story paths.

+ There's a cat!  I like cats and you can find a feline friend at a certain location.

+ Additional FREE content is being added!  Three episodic story branches are in the process of being added to the core game.  One episode, called "Flux," is already out (sadly I missed it because I didn't know how close to the end of the game I was) and another is scheduled to be added at the end of October.  It's always nice when free stuff gets added to games!

Cons:

-I don't really have any cons as I found Citizen Sleeper to be a really great game.  If you're one of those people who are anti-reading in games...well, you're missing out, but just go play Call of Duty or something.

Recommendation:

I would highly recommend Citizen Sleeper.  The writing and story are top notch and there are so many choices to be made.  The fact that there are numerous outcomes makes subsequent playthroughs very appealing.  I bought it on sale (for $15.99) but it's definitely worth full price. 

What to Play?

With the imminent arrival of fall and the pending conclusion of my total The Witcher marathon I am giving some thought to what I want to play next.  I'm having some desire to play back through Two Point Campus.  Recent patches seem to have addressed some of my gripes about student behavior and it might be worth seeing what's changed.  The same can be said for Cyberpunk 2077 which received a sizeable (18 gig) patch in anticipation of the release of the Edgerunners anime series on Netflix.  The patch notes mentioned the addition of a few Edgerunner themed items being added to the game as well as something I've long desired--the ability to transmog outfits!

There's just something about the weather cooling off and the arrival of fall that makes me want to hunker down with a warm blanket and play something comforting.  I've been keeping an eye on a charming Australian-themed farming game called Dinkum which is currently in early access but has glowing reviews.  It might scratch that Stardew itch in a perfect way.

In other Cyberpunk related news, it looks like the first (and, I would anticipate, only) DLC called Phantom Liberty will release sometime in 2023.  The trailer has more Keanu (ala Johnny Silverhand) and the story looks to see V joining up with some sort of military-esque faction related to the NUSA.  Color me intrigued, but also realistic in the fact that it might be quite awhile before we actually see said expansion as a reality (CD Projekt can't really screw this one up or their already embattled reputation could take another big hit--I would guess that they'll take their time with it and make sure it's in a much better state before it's released.  But, we'll see.).

Happy pre-fall to everyone!  Find something comfy to play and burrow into a nice soft blanket.

A 90's Vibe with a Zany Story--NORCO

Sometimes you find good video game suggestions in the strangest places--this is how I stumbled onto NORCO.  My main source of news is NPR (National Public Radio for the uninitiated) and they had an article with their picks for the best games of 2022 (so far--read it here).  I scoffed and figured that it'd be a list filled with the typical triple-A sports-y, shoot-y type of games.  The list, however, was actually filled with a decent variety of big name titles and games that skew more toward the indie side.  NORCO was featured with a small blurb praising good writing and a "thought-provoking story."  One the plus side, it was on sale for just $7.49, so I decided to check it out.

What is it?

A 90's style point-and-click game set in the New Orleans of a dystopian United States.  Check out the trailer below.

What is the story about?

You play as a character whose mother has recently passed away and who grudgingly returns home (it's complicated).  Once back at home you discover that despite her failing health, your mother was researching/investigating the corporate oil company that owns a huge refinery that dominates life in New Orleans.  Like any good returning home/mystery story, things get tricky fast.

Pros:

+ As indicated in the NPR article, the writing and story are both great.  Throughout the story you encounter numerous zany characters and they're all intriguing in some way.  The story is definitely the highlight and takes you on quite a wild ride--you can't even begin to predict what might happen and that's refreshing.  The dialogue is quite funny in places.

+ There's some replayability.  I know that I missed some stuff (there are achievements for characters I never encountered) and there might be multiple endings (I'm still not 100% sure on that though).

+ The controls and gameplay are very straightforward and easy for anyone to figure out.  There are times in the story where it might seem like you don't know what to do next, but the game is good about giving nudges toward your next objective.

Cons:

- It's short.  I finished in 6.3 hours.  The story and writing are so great that I wanted more!

Recommendation:

NORCO is extremely well-written and definitely worth a play.  If you're feeling an itch for something that's not stressful, that feels fresh and interesting, and that scratches that 90's point-and-click adventure game itch, I would encourage you to check out NORCO.

Experiencing the Worst Ending

Okay, let me be honest here--I've played an ungodly amount of The Witcher 3--over 900 hours.  It's my favorite game and I just love returning to Geralt, the Witchers, the sorceresses, Ciri, and the strumpets in Novigrad that yell hilarious things as you navigate the city.  When you've played a game as much as I've played The Witcher 3 you might feel the urge to make different choices...you know, just to see what happens.  I decided to choose some things that I don't normally choose and will now narrate the disastrous consequences.  (I suppose it's worth mentioning that this will contain spoilers for The Witcher 3)

Things started to go wrong early on--I fully intended for Geralt to re-ignite his relationship with Triss Merigold.  I chose all the flirty, supportive options (except for maybe 1 or 2) but decided that Geralt shouldn't drop the big "ILY" as Triss is departing.  Apparently, that's the clincher.  Even though I like Triss as a character (and relationship choice), I do feel that Yennifer is the canon option.  I always ponder the dead rose of remembrance--it's supposed to stay alive forever...as long as there is still love in the relationship, if it's dead...well, that's not a great sign.  Plus, there's always the issue of Geralt losing his memory and Triss sort of stringing him along.  So, overall, choosing Yen isn't the worst thing ever.  I did not intend for things to fall apart with Triss though!

I've never really paid much attention to exactly which key decisions can impact the ending.  I really only had it in mind to ignore Emhyr and dissuade Ciri from visiting her dear ol' daddy.  There are other decisions though that have a big impact on the ending...and I chose poorly.  The earliest of those decisions occurs immediately following the tangle with the Wild Hunt at Kaer Mohren--Geralt chooses to comfort Ciri who is struggling with her magical training.  Geralt can either tell Ciri that it's okay, not everyone is good at everything or offer up a break to take her mind off of the training.  One of my favorite parts of the game plays out if you choose the break option--Geralt and Ciri have a silly snowball fight and share a cute hug at the end.  Instead, I chose option number 1 and got to watch as a sad Ciri joined Geralt for a round sad drinks.

The second key decision takes place after Geralt has rescued Margarita Laux-Antille and has reunited the Lodge of Sorceresses.  They want to speak to Ciri and she's feeling nervous about them due to their past schemes--Geralt can either reassure Ciri that she should go in alone and handle it herself or can offer to go with Ciri.  I decided that Geralt should go with her (to offer support) and it turned out to be the worst of the two decisions.

The last disastrous decision occurred while visiting Avallac'h's hidden laboratory with Triss and Ciri.  It's here that you discover that Avallac'h has a very intense fascination with the Elder Blood (and Ciri) and his "friend" tells Ciri that he actually hates her and that she's a dirty "half-breed."  Ciri is visibly upset and expresses frustration with her "gift."  Geralt can either choose to tell her to calm down or can encourage her to vent her frustration by trashing the lab.  Choosing the "calm down" option means that Ciri becomes angry and storms out of the lab.

Geralt sadly contemplates Ciri's medallion.

I didn't think too much about the choices I made and was stunned when Ciri seemed to picture all these events in a negative fashion as she took on the White Frost.  Then, a brand new ending that I had never seen started to roll--Geralt is in Velen and he's looking for the last Crone.  A werewolf has offered to show him in exchange for Geralt's help in rescuing some wolf pups who are in danger from some local villagers.  Geralt finds the group of villagers and discovers that they've trapped the she-wolf and plan to kill her and the pups.  There's virtually no hesitation as he kills the peasants--it's brutal.  Then, the werewolf leads him to the swamp village where the Crones reside.  Weavess confronts Geralt and implies that Ciri is dead--tons of monsters swarm the area as the fight takes place.  Once Weavess is dead, Geralt frantically searches the village for the Wolf medallion that once belonged to Vesemir but that Ciri lost during her battle with the Crones.  He finds it and then sits and stares at it as tons of monsters swarm the village.  There's a strong indication that Ciri's death has caused him to lose his will to fight.

I felt so bummed by this ending that I contemplated reloading my save before the Isle of Mists.  Holy crap does that ending suck!  I decided against the re-load since 1.) there was probably a good 30-ish hours of stuff to re-do and 2.) I've experienced the other two endings plenty of times.  I guess it was worth the experience of finally getting to see all of the endings...but, like my renegade Mass Effect run...never again!

I've Earned my Two Point Campus PhD!

I've just wrapped up my final three-star campus in the recently released Two Point Campus and I feel like I've officially earned my PhD of campus management.  I'm not merely content to earn one-star and then move on to the next map, so I crazily did the full three-star tour.  Overall, I had a nice time and am looking forward to any future DLC.

Playtime Overview:

My total playthrough clocked in at 102 hours (there's undoubtedly some AFK time in there)--if you want to 3-star each of the 12 campuses...there's plenty there to keep you busy.  If you're hoping for a faster playthrough you can easily earn 1-star and then move on to the next campus.

The massive final campus level.

Pros:

+ Most of the management aspects of the game are very similar to Two Point Hospital, so it's easy to pick up if you have that experience.  Placing objects, managing staff, creating rooms...everything is basically the same.  The good news is that Campus started off with many of the great features that were added into Hospital--the ability to clone rooms and to save room templates.

A lot of the goals on each campus hinge on student achievement and happiness--two aspects that are related.  Happier students learn better, so maintaining high grades means more than merely making sure that your students have adequate teachers and facilities--they also want to make friends, have romantic relationships, and of course...party!  Luckily there are specific room types that can provide these opportunities and also objects that can help.  The addition of a calendar for planning events also helps provide special concerts or gatherings to boost student happiness.

+ Signature Two Point silliness.  The courses you can choose to have at your university range from scientography (a semi-serious take on science) to funny business (a class for wannabe clowns).  My favorite course is gastronomy--a cooking class where students learn to make gigantic food.

The in-game music/radio features many of the familiar DJ's from Hospital and a few new ones.  They're just as whacky as before.

+ Exterior design!  Campus adds in the ability to create and design your own buildings on the lots that you buy (you can actually choose if you want buildings or not on new lots) and allows you to design outdoor features with plenty of flowers, benches, hedges, and other features.  If you are truly creative (I'm not) you can create amazingly beautiful campuses.

+ Sandbox mode.  Perfect for creative types.

+ The ability to manage and add new courses is nice.  You earn course points for accomplishing specific goals and can decide to expand the courses you already have or to add brand new ones (which means adding in all the required rooms for that course...so be aware).  There's some freedom to choose the courses you want to accomplish your goals (obviously you can't change the mission-specific courses).

+ Goals can be challenging.  I think that they're actually harder than in Hospital.  Don't be surprised if you find yourself restarting a map.  Luckily though I didn't find them to be too difficult.

+ Staff training automatically queues.  The downside is that you can only train one person at a time.

+ Tons of fun items and cosmetic features to unlock with Kudosh.  Staff outfits, specific room items, wallpapers, carpets...there's no shortage of stuff to make your campus unique.

Cons:

- Student behavior is weird and the way that students take care of their needs isn't explained well.  Basically, students have basic needs--they need rest, food, water, a bathroom and shower--but they tend to not take care of these needs.  The school year is split into times where they are in classes and then free time where you would assume they would prioritize their needs...but they often don't.  Students who become too unhappy from unmet needs will threaten to drop out.  There's very little you can manage to keep this from happening and it's probably one of the most frustrating aspects of the game.

- No room queues.  Not every room in Campus needs a queue, but I wish they had the same room queue feature that was in Hospital.  It can also be frustrating when a student has poor grades and is queueing for tutoring and you can't bump them up in the line ahead of someone who is trying to move that B+ to an A or when you have a student who is threatening to drop out and you can't pop them to the front of the queue in the medical or pastoral support rooms.

- Rooms have a "capacity" and how it works is also not explained well.  Bigger room = more students...but there are also other factors.

- Some bugs.  I had a few issues with students getting stuck, but nothing too major. (*They just released the first "big" patch for the game).  Also, there's some weirdness with objects saying that they're blocked when they clearly aren't.

- I've seen some people ask if Campus is a clone of Hospital...I wouldn't quite go that far, but they are very similar.  If you were hoping that Campus would be a totally different experience than Hospital...it's not.  If you didn't enjoy Hospital, you probably won't enjoy Campus.

- There is zero explanation about the planning calendar and when I tried to change things around it created a massive clusterfu*& of epic proportions.  It's another feature that could use some sort of tutorial or explanation.

Recommendation:

Campus adds some new features but keeps much of the core that made up Hospital.  I found that there was enough to keep it challenging and entertaining. I think the $40 price tag is appropriate if you plan on the full three-star experience.

Campus Crazies

As expected, I've been spending all my gaming time diving into Two Point Campus and I have to say that I've been having a great time.  I haven't made a ton of progress and have completed the first 4 or so campuses.  Maybe I'm crazy or doing it wrong, but I like to three-star each campus before I move onto the next one.  So, what's the same and what's new in the next chapter in the Two Point-iverse?

Anyone who played Two Point Hospital will immediately recognize the fact that many of the core gameplay mechanics are virtually the same.  Students and staff have basic needs that must be met; designing, placing, and decorating rooms is the same--rooms still have a prestige level that is impacted by the size and items you place in the room;  you'll still need to train staff to meet the needs of the many students who populate your campuses.

Even though many of the core mechanics of the game have stayed the same the focus in Campus is much more client/student oriented.  The ultimate goal on each campus is to keep your students happy and help them earn high grades.  Student happiness isn't just simply fulfilling their basic needs--students want to create relationships (of the friendship and romantic varieties), and be entertained.  These needs can be maintained through special rooms--the student lounge and student union rooms are both great hangout spots where friendships can blossom--or even through single items.  Students who are seeking romantic relationships might request a special bench that can be placed outside or a cupid statue.  Clubs are another unique way to keep students happy and there are several varieties (each with their own benefit)--in true Two Point fashion, these clubs are definitely a tad silly.  The power napping club teaches students the ability to rest and regain energy basically anywhere; the book club can actually help students learn faster; the power walking club improves student healthiness as does the nature club.

DJ Sue Chef puts on a performance in the student union.

The students and campuses themselves vary widely--the first few campuses have goals that are focused toward a single specialization, so far I've built campuses for gastronomy students who seem to be concerned with creating giant foods; robotics students who are focused on creating the perfect iron giants; a castle campus filled with wannabe knights.  The gameplay takes place during an "academic year" and you can choose the courses that will be taught (which is based on the goals for each map).  At the end of each year during "summer break" you are presented with new campus requirements and can choose to add or improved courses.  This break is nice because it gives you time to build new structures and rooms to improve your campus and work toward satisfying the increasingly complex requirements for each star-level.

Students come in a variety of "archetypes" and I haven't had much of a chance to delve into exactly what that means--a handy loading screen tip implies that different types of students have different needs.  It's fun to see the different type of students who show up on campus--goth students seem to enjoy the many gothic themed items (like the coffin bookcase or the raven lamp); posh students seem to enjoy...themselves?  I haven't had many posh students and their demands have been mostly for hat stands and posh pictures.

I'm hoping to get to some of the more advanced campuses and offer up many courses during my upcoming play sessions.  If you enjoyed Two Point Hospital, Campus has much of the same feel with enough differing mechanics to keep if feeling like a new spin on the formula.