Smokin' Hot Deals

Enjoying the 5 billion Black Friday e-mails you've received?  I know that I've woken up to my inbox crammed full of hysterical e-mails begging me to buy something because the deals are sooo amazing (fun fact--they're really usually not that great but our little peanut brains just like buying things waaaay too much).  But I'll admit...my little peanut brain has been buying things!  And, of course, the Steam Autumn sale is here so that I can extend my purchases to the world of video games as well.  What to buy though?  Here's my advice on what to grab in the current Steam sale.

1.) Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

If you're like me, you might be somewhat opposed to purchasing remasters/remakes/basically the same game(s) twice.  Buuuut, thanks to the magic of the SALES you can grab the updated Legendary Edition for the smokin' hot price of $4.99.  For the price of a fancy coffee drink you can play one of the best sci-fi RPG's out there.  The legendary edition does have some benefits over the basic games--firstly, the first game has received a graphics update and a few minor gameplay tweaks.  It looks good for a game from 2007, but it unfortunately does still play like the original game from 2007.  Secondly, you get all the DLC (this includes special promotional content/pre-order bonuses).  Lastly, it's nice not to have to manage importing saves and having everything just carry over from game to game automatically.  There are some other fun features like a new screenshot tool that make your $4.99 worth it.

Avoid the baddies and grab those crystals.

2.) Vampire Survivors

Don't want to spend a fortune on a new game?  Well, for $3,74 you can get an oddly enjoyable game that I've found myself being really bad at, but still wanting to play.  I knew very little about the game but thanks to crossover content in Balatro and a goofy meme about games that are great and don't have uber-leet graphics, I decided to give it a try.  It's a sort of survival/roguelike/bullet hell/run around grabbing crystals for as long as you can/video game.  There are a ton of different characters to unlock and it has some mechanics that give it a ton of replayability.  

3.) Dave the Diver

I can't rave enough about Dave the Diver and would recommend it to someone who's looking for a relaxing, but fun game that doesn't require a top of the line PC to play.  It's part action adventure/exploration/roguelike/management and has a great cast of characters, story, and gameplay.  You can grab it for $13.99 and there's a lot of fun crossover content from other games that has been added in.

4.) Red Dead Redemption 2

No, I'm not recommending the recently released re-master of the original Red Dead Redemption (I am still of the opinion that it's overpriced), but would steer folks toward the amazing RDR2.  For $19.79 you can grab one of the best RPG's out there.  Us PC folks had to wait a long, long time for it to finally migrate to the PC world, so there's a chance that some people might've slept on it.  It's definitely worth your time and is one of my all-time favorites. (*Who knows when we'll actually see Grand Theft Auto VI on PC....I wouldn't anticipate it any time soon though)

5.) Cyberpunk 2077

Maybe you were turned off by the extremely bad release back in 2021 (it was a disaster) and just never pulled the trigger on it.  Thanks to years of redemptive work by CD Projekt, Cyberpunk has evolved into a fun and replayable RPG.  It's still not perfect, but I do have a special place in my heart for Night City and all its violent dysfunction.  For $26.99 you can easily spend 100+ hours tooling around as a decked out V.  (*for $46.90 you can get the base game and the "Phantom Liberty" DLC).

There are a ton of other deals out there, but those are my personal recommendations.  And, in just a few weeks the holiday sale will roll around and there will be even more deals to consider.  Happy shopping and gaming!

Retrospective Platforming

There's a feature on Steam that I mostly ignore--recommendations from your library about what to play next.  Mostly it picks games that you haven't played either at all (AKA the ol' pile of shame) or for a long time.  I had just finished up my latest quest for cult domination in Cult of the Lamb and just happened to glance at he recommendation.  It was showcasing Ori and the Will of the Wisps--a game that I had purchased but never played through Steam (I did play it during my brief foray into the world of the XBOX PC Game Pass back when they offered an introductory month for $1).  I thought to myself "huh, why not?" and decided to start my Ori journey with the original game (Ori and the Blind Forest).  I thought I would reflect on it after replaying for the first time in seven (woooow) years.

Ori and Naru

What's Great About It:

1.) Modern platformers are so much more than ye olde Nintendo classics like Mario Bros.  Ori takes the classic formula of jumping, navigating risky terrain, and fighting off enemies and adds in a ton of fun variations that truly make cute little Ori feel like the lithe forest spirit that they are.  I love the bash mechanic that lets you move for long distances without touching the ground--it requires a bit of practice before you'll get the hang of it, but once you do, it's downright magical.

2.) The story (yes, there's a story), the artwork, the environments, and the music are all fabulous.  As much as you want to just stop and take in everything around you while you play, you've gotta keep Ori moving along on his quest.  The soundtrack is by far one that deserves to live on your video games playlist--tons of beautiful piano that perfectly accents the mood of the game.  You'll find Ori navigating through a diverse array of environments--a lush forest, a swampy marsh, a rocky mountain....each environment has its own enemy types and unique hazards to avoid.

3.) Hidden secrets to find.  As you unlock new abilities for Ori it's very worthwhile to travel back to previously visited areas to use those skills to traverse terrain that was previously unreachable.  Finding all the hidden energy orbs and health boosters is an additional challenge (*extra points for finding them yourself and not looking up a guide)

4.) Ori and the Blind Forest features a save mechanic that is unique--using Ori's energy, players can create save points almost anywhere.  It's nice to be able to save throughout particularly tricky areas and not have to completely re-navigate them (if you have enough energy, that is).

5.) It's short.  If you're looking for an option that's not going to take months to complete...you can finish the entire story of Ori in ~10 hours (if you decide to go secret hunting, it could add time to that).

What's Not-So-Great:

1.) If you're someone who gets frustrated and gives up easily, Ori is likely one that will push your buttons.  It has the ability to simultaneously make you feel awesome and also like chucking your controller through the nearest object (don't do it!).  You die a lot--that's just part of learning the mechanics of the game.  I could see how this might turn some players off.

2.) Pulse pounding chase sequences that require near perfection.  No spoilers, but at the end of each zone there's some sort of event where Ori must quickly escape from some encroaching threat.  These are set events and they must be 100% completed--there are no saves!  It can take many tries, but you'll eventually get it right.  It can be VERY frustrating and there are times where that controller chucking urge is needs to be quashed.  To those who want games to be harder...well, here you go (there are also multiple difficulty options for the leet among us).

Retroactive Opining:

I thought Ori and the Blind Forest was great the first time I played it, and I still fully agree with that assessment.  Even if you're someone who's not big into platformers, it's an all-around enjoyable experience.  If you haven't played Ori yet, I'd recommend picking it up (*the Steam autumn sale is right around the corner and I'm sure you could snag the two game Ori bundle for a song).

Bless the Lamb!

I decided it would be worth investing $5.99 in a little DLC for Cult of the Lamb and decided to fire up an entirely new cult.  After conquering the evils within and building up a cadre of loyal cultists, I'm ready to report on the "Pilgrim Pack" DLC.  It's always nice to fire up a game that I haven't played in a minute and see what has been added.

Firstly, I have to admit that I didn't read the description of the DLC that closely, which is something that you should do.

The comic book and additional fun book.

Pros:

+ It's only $6.99!  That's pretty cheap for some additional content (I saved $1 from a sale).

+ The DLC adds in a short, comic book style story based in the world of Cult of the Lamb.  The comic book is a fun piece of artwork/additional storytelling.  It's short and probably takes 10-15 minutes to read through.

+ As part of the story tied to the comic book you unlock two new followers (and follower forms).  There's a quest to initially rescue one of the characters from a dungeon and then later there's another one.  Upon rescuing the second character there's an additional quest to travel back to the dungeon to find the personal effects of the character.  Once found, this also unlocks another goofy little artbook that is fun.

+ There are a few new decorative items added in as part of the DLC.  They're sort of bamboo garden inspired.

Cons:

- As I admitted at the top, I didn't fully read the description of what the DLC was (like a dum-dum) and absorbed that it involved new quests, a story, and some new followers.  I figured there would be a bit more to it...and, I suppose the comic book/goofy book were that other part.

Recommendation:

I would say that it would be best to try to get this DLC on sale--you don't get a ton of new content and $6.99 feels steep for what do you actually get.  Granted, I did want to re-play it and the new content does help give you something to look forward to.  If you're a fan of the game, you'll likely enjoy it (I did).

That Ending Tho--Part 2

This summer I finally decided it was time to invest in the "Phantom Liberty" DLC for CyberPunk 2077.  Yeah, I'm a bit late to the party, but I wanted to see how everything shook out before dropping an additional $29.99.  I did enjoy the DLC, but thanks to a recent conversation with a student about video games, I realized that I never wrote up a reflection on the "new" ending that's one of the added bonuses of purchasing the DLC. (Here's the link to my "Phantom Liberty" review--link) Spoiler warning:  This post will reference ALL endings to CyberPunk 2077.  Read on with caution!

Like any good RPG/CD Projekt Game, the end of "Phantom Liberty" forces V to make some heavy decisions about the key characters wrapped up in the events taking place in Dogtown.  There's Solomon Reed, the sleeper FIA agent whose loyalty to the NUSA seems unwavering (voiced and modeled after the excellent Idris Elba).  And, of course, there's So-Mi "Songbird," an enigmatic netrunner type whose motivations are hazy at best.  Your choices of endings comes down to decisions made during the last mission of the "Phantom Liberty" DLC--you can choose to help Songbird escape or to work with Solomon to capture Songbird.

I opted to help Songbird escape and if you're someone who enjoys intense combat, I would highly recommend choosing it as an option.  To help her escape, V must travel to the lunar launch port (a referenced, but inaccessible part of the base game) and infiltrate it so that Songbird can make it to a rocket that will help her escape to the moon.  The downside is that the FIA/NUSA is onto the plot and once V makes it to the port, it's crawling with goons--things fall apart quickly and escaping turns into a desperate sprint/battle through hordes of NUSA soldiers.  The entire thing culminates in one of the most intense combat sequences in the game--one last defensive stand against waves of soldiers trying to capture Songbird.  I've gotta admit, it's a rough battle (you probably want to holdout on starting "Phantom Liberty" until later in the game for the best combat abilities).  V, with Songbird's ability to utilize the dark magics of hacking the Blackwall, holds out long enough to escape...but Songbird is in rough shape and is barely hanging on.

Dogtown has its own vibe.

Once V and Songbird arrive at the shuttle, none other than Solomon Reed appears for one last plea--V must turn Songbird over to the NUSA.  He makes very few guarantees of her safety and dangles a big bonus to the deal--if V turns over Songbird, they can have access to the best doctors and scientists in the NUSA...specialists who could likely extract the Relic and save V's life.  Alternately, you can shoot Reed and put Songbird on the shuttle to the moon.  There's no deal, but Songbird lives.  Since I wanted to experience the "new" ending, I opted to turn Songbird over.

One of the most interesting aspects of opting for Reed's deal is that it seems like you don't even have to play through the rest of the game (if you choose to).  You can call him up at any time and the new ending will play out (that's the impression I got anyway).  I did choose to play through the rest of it and when you get to the point of making the "big" choice with Johnny you can opt to call Reed.  Reed shows up with a helicopter and a doctor who can assess V's condition.  There's an uncomfortable discussion that's basically Johnny's goodbye--V can apologize for the choice but Johnny's pretty salty about simply disappearing.  I don't love Johnny, but it feels bad to just cut him loose to save V's life.  V's condition declines and the doctor is forced to give them an anesthetic...everything cuts to black.

The next scene starts with V waking up in a hospital room.  A few seconds later, Solomon Reed appears and explains the situation to V--the surgery was a success, the Relic is gone (and Johnny with it).  The bad news...V has been in a coma for three years...plus, the Relic caused so much damage to V's nervous system that they will never be able to utilize any cyberware.  He then presents V with some options--they can choose to stay and take a desk job with the FIA or they can return to Night City.  Before the choice is made, a scene that is slightly similar to the Arasaka ending plays out.  V can call up some of their former pals from Night City.  The first call my V made was to her romantic partner, Judy.  Judy is shocked to hear from V, but the reality is that three years have gone by...life, and Judy, has moved on.  Judy is happily married and has left Night City.  It's a bit of a bummer, but V can still try to contact their other pals--calling Panam results in no answer (weird for someone who was best pals with V).  Viktor does answer and offers up his medical expertise to try to see if V can actually use cyberware.  Solomon then re-enters the room and you can make your final decision--stay or return to Night City.  I opted to have V return.

Upon returning to Night City, V is greeted with a city that has obviously been overtaken by Militech interests (there are some newsy type of references that imply that Arasaka withdrew from the NUSA thanks to internal family turmoil)--the streets are crawling with Militech soldiers and mechs.  V arrives at what used to be Misty's store to discover that it's gone--replaced with a Zetatech tech store.  It turns out that Viktor finally chose to sell out to the corporate interests and is now under their employ.  V manages to negotiate a quick visit with Viktor and heads down to his shop.  Viktor is pleased to see V and assesses her condition...unfortunately, Reed was correct, V's system is beyond repair and they can't equip any cyberware.  The whole situation ends awkwardly when a Zetatech client shows up and Viktor has to essentially push V out the door to handle them.

V is understandably shook and is trying to navigate the narrow alleys around the shop when they are confronted by two street thugs (a common occurrence in Night City).  V of the past wouldn't even blink at these two fools, but current V is cyberware-less and still recovering from a three year long coma.  V takes a beating, but luckily a bystander shows up...it's Misty, but a much different Misty--she's lost her punk aesthetic.  They're shocked to see each other and strike up a conversation--V asks about the store and Misty discusses Viktor's decision to sellout.  Of course Misty was adamantly opposed and it has strained her relationship with him.  In fact, Misty is there because she's saying goodbye--she's leaving Night City for good.  Misty's always good for a deep conversation and V reveals their inability to wield cyberware.  Misty implores V to accept things--yeah, V can't be the badass, edgerunner that they wanted to be, but they still have a life...even if it is bland, normal one.  Misty grabs a cab and departs...V blends into the crowd of nobody's walking the streets of Night City.

Like any good CD Projekt Red ending...it's a mixed bag.  This is the only ending where V gets to live (longer than a few months and as themselves--not Johnny's consciousness in V's body).  The obvious downside is that V's dreams of climbing the ladders of Night City success have been completely dashed.  I guess it does really come down to Dex's two choices--would you rather live fast and die young as a Night City legend or live a long, boring life?  V's faced with the long, boring life choice (but is that such a bad thing?  It definitely feels like it in this context).  I was vaguely excited for this ending because I had seem someone comment that they cried...I thought they meant that in a good way!  It turned out to be a bit of a bummer.

It's nice to have another ending after having played through ALL of the others (and honestly, none of them are "perfect").  I like to envision V as staying in Night City and becoming a top fixer.  At least that's semi-positive.

So Far, So Good

Dragon Age: The Veilguard released on Thursday--no, I haven't purchased it (it's a potential future investment) or played it, but I'm watching the chatter on a very active Dragon Age fan page.  I've also been semi-reading at least the headlines for reviews and they seem pretty good.  I figured that if it was an absolute dog that I'd know pretty quickly--so far folks seem content.  There have been some gripes (normal release day stuff like slow downloads) but it seems like things have mostly been smooth sailing.  I'm awaiting the impressions from first playthroughs from the fans--reviews are great and all, but I like to see what actual players say too.  If you are playing, I hope you're having a great time and you get that Dragon Age fix that folks have been waiting for.

The stage plays mxmtoon's songs during the week.

Me, I'm still re-playing Dave the Diver but am about to the point where I'm getting ready to move onto something else.  It's still great--(and this playthrough has gone exponentially better since I understood the upgrade system for food and have made way more money than on my first playthrough) and there are a few new events.  One event involves a budding music star who wants to dive with Dave to find green sea urchins for a special dish.  It winds up being an escort style mission where she searched for the urchins and you have to defend her from unfriendly fish.  Completing the mission rewards a new item, a speaker and microphone that can be placed in Bancho Sushi and the singer (mxmtoon--no clue who this person is in real life) will perform on the weekends.

The best event that has been added is the Dredge crossover.  Once in awhile a red mist will show up--this allows you to play a sort of Dredge mini-game where Dave can pilot the ship to special whirlpools and dive for aberrated fish.  The fish are the same as those found in Dredge and they are aggressive, so it's similar to a regular night dive.  The best part is that those aberrated fish can be cooked into special dishes for the hooded figures who appear in Bancho Sushi--they'll pay a premium for the dishes and any extra fish can be sold to the merchant (from Dredge).  You can make a decent amount of cash from this event, but it only appears once in awhile (I've only had it pop up twice in my current playthrough).

I did purchase the DLC Pilgrim Pack for Cult of the Lamb and will probably give it a go once I'm done diving with Dave.  Happy gaming eveyone!