A Giant Pile of Failure

Lately I've been bouncing back and forth between some classics and the one game that looms large on the zenith of my pile of shame--Divinity:  Original Sin.  I just can't make up my mind--one minute I want to shoot something and the next I want to strategize.  I'm going to attribute this restlessness to end of the year teacher brain.

I started my journey of failure in the classic Theme Hospital.  It's one of my all time favorites and I am usually content to put it on medium difficulty and glide through.  Since I have played through it about five hundred times I decided it was time to grow up and play it on hard mode.  At first it wasn't so bad, I was able to squeak out some victories and even got a few bonus rat shooting levels.   Once I reached the later levels...well, let's just say it was a bit of a vomit soaked disaster.  A tidal wave of patients constantly slammed my hospital and no matter how many doctors, nurses, or handymen that I hired I just couldn't keep up.  Combine this with the fact that on hard difficulty contagion outbreaks are extremely serious and almost impossible to contain--it spells absolute disaster!  After pounding my head on that brick wall for awhile I decided it was time to throw in the towel.  Someday...someday I will beat you on hard mode Theme Hospital.

My not-so-stunning failure led me to feel the need for a little angry shooting.  It had been several years since I had last booted up the Half-Life 2 series so I decided to give it a go.  As I reacquainted myself with the world of City 17 I was ushered back to 2004 and the thrill of one of the best games being released.  Playing through Half-Life made me realize how much things have changed in the last thirteen years of gaming.  Certain aspects of the game felt really silly and outdated--namely the lack of cover system (it felt extremely weird to be running around shooting a bunch of dumb enemies who weren't taking cover).  I had also forgotten how short the game really is--maybe 6-8 hours of play--that seems so miniscule today.  Despite all that Half-Life 2 is still a completely brilliant game--the quick pace of combat, the strong story that compels you to keep pushing forward, and the cliffhanger ending.  It really is a shame that the series was never completed.

After the brief but enjoyable foray into Half-Life 2, I decided I should try to tackle some of the games on my pile of shame.  A few years ago I had played through about 80% of Divinity:  Original Sin and then had given up for some reason.  It had been so long that I didn't think I could step back into that specific playthrough and feel comfortable with what I vaguely remembered from several years ago.  It was time for a new game!  Plus, there was the new "enhanced edition" which promised to take a fun CRPG and make it even better.  Last night I dedicated myself to creating a new duo of heroes and begin my second round of adventuring.

If you were like me and you played D:OS and found yourself a little frustrated by certain aspects of the game (the lack of tutorials and somewhat complicated mechanics of certain core CRPG features) it would be well worth your while to download the updated version.  There are new tutorials, menus, and voiceovers which take an already good game and make it great.  I had a hard time tearing myself away from it last night.

If you're thinking of spending your holiday weekend enjoying the great indoors--consider booting up a classic game or delving into your pile of shame.  Happy gaming!

Favorite Villains--#2

My next favorite villain is an extremely mysterious character who periodically pops up in the Half-Life series.  He's not some hulking monstrosity who poses a physical threat but instead represents a psychological one.

Villain #2--G-Man

G-Man doesn't look like much of a threat.

Most people would probably think a guy in a suit carrying a briefcase isn't really that bad or that scary.  It's more about what he represents.  G-man is mysterious, you don't really know who or what he is.  He seems to show up at vital times and in impossible situations.  Is he human?  Is he part of some huge government conspiracy?  Is he just some dopey businessman who got stuck in an interdimensional rift?

G-Man's most interesting feature is his voice.  He speaks with a slow, calm, and slightly odd tone.  At times it almost seems like there are strange pauses in his speech.  Is this because he's some sort of alien just learning human language?  There is something creepy and disarming about the way he speaks.

It's also strongly hinted that the G-Man might be some sort of higher being that is causing all the events in the Half-Life series to occur.

All of these factors make the G-Man an intimidating but untouchable figure in the series.  Maybe someday (like the day when Half-Life 3 becomes a reality) we will finally learn who or what the G-Man really is.