When the Fallout Settles

Personally, it hasn't been the greatest couple of weeks for me and my gaming has been on a brief hold.  However, it has been nearly impossible to miss the massive gaming news of late 2020--the fact that the highly anticipated CyberPunk 2077 released and turned out to be a hot, buggy mess.  I've seen reporting on it in my normal gaming sources, but also in some very mainstream media--that tells you a bit about how catastrophic the launch was.  I had decided early on that it was probably best to sit on CyberPunk for awhile and see how it panned out, so luckily I didn't pre-order.  Here's where I would love to tell you "I told you so," and be triumphant, but I'm mostly just bummed that it turned out this way.

There is a ton of speculation about what exactly went wrong and you can spend five minutes on any gaming related social media and find plenty of articles describing the myriad issues surrounding the flawed release.  My skepticism about the release was built around the fact that the game was being completed in the middle of a pandemic (and so many games have opted not to release or to push back until later).  I was surprised that they did finally decide to release--from what I remember of The Witcher 3's release, it was delayed multiple times (but was awesome at release).  Maybe another, longer delay would have given them time to work out the kinks?  From what I've read another delay wasn't going to happen and the corporate overlords wanted it pushed out (even though it seems like it was known that it wasn't ready--and especially the console versions).

Another point of skepticism for me was the fact that releasing on PC, the now, last-gen consoles, as well as trying to release on the now current-gen consoles, seemed very, very ambitious--even in the best of times, and this isn't the best of times.  Even though I've always been a fan of CD Projekt and they have a reputation of being very consumer oriented, there was definitely some shady nonsense going on with the console versions of the game.  However, this hasn't stopped them from raking in massive profits and already reporting that with pre-sales they've already managed to recoup their production costs.

Is this CyberPunk fiasco going to damage CD Projekt's reputation?  In the short term, probably, but I would argue that people have short memories.  Many other games have rolled out in a catastrophically bad state and have managed to survive (and even thrive).  In a few months, after the bugs have been worked out, people will have forgotten and possibly will even start to really enjoy the game.  I've been avoiding reading any reviews, but just from what people are saying online is that they enjoyed the game, but the bugs are obnoxious.  Without the bugs, is it another great game?

I personally plan to wait until later--maybe until the first time it goes on sale, to grab it.  For the time being, I'm contenting myself with playing a different game that also had catastrophic release--Fallout 76.  If you're out there, playing CyberPunk, I hope you are enjoying it.

Non-Accomplishments

The hot gaming news this week has been the release of the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077.  Being that I'm a big Witcher fan, you would think that I would be one of those ravenous gamers who are currently gobbling up the glorious world of Cyberpunk, but I'm not.  I have stuck to my plan of waiting awhile for the bugs and kinks to be worked out (and, according to many of the review headlines--I didn't read any actual reviews) there's quite a bit that needs to be fixed.  So, for the time being, I'm going to content myself with listlessly wandering around in Fallout 76.

My CAMP (and dumpster armor)

What have I accomplished since my last update about playing Fallout 76?  Is my character decked out in uber-power armor and wielding legendary weapons?  Hahahahaha....nope.  I would describe the current look of my character as dumpster-diver chic--mismatched armor of varying levels and makes topped off with my favorite Civil War Era top hat.  Since I've opted for a stealthy, sniping/surprise attack build, I've chosen weapons suited to that playstyle--a sniper rifle for long distance attacks and a suppressed pipe pistol (I know....a crappy, pipe pistol).  My weapon choices have also been shaped by the amount of ammo I've managed to pick up--I accumulated a very large amount of .38 ammo and varying amounts of other ammo.  I'm trying to burn through the .38 ammo with my pipe pistol (largely since you can't sell ammo to vendors) to simply get it out of my inventory.

I'm largely spending my time in Fallout 76 trying to pursue the main and side missions and also, just wandering around and discovering new locations.  I've spent some time working on a long quest chain tied to a random item I looted from a dead woman in a weird dress.  The quest prompts you to check out this big manor house while wearing a mysterious, veil.  Once you've fought your way through a horde of Scorched, you make the discovery that the mansion belonged to a famous actress who played a comic book character.  Even better, she was using her mansion to secretly train orphans from the war and turn them into a force of post-apocalyptic crime fighters who roamed the land trying to aid the many people who were simply trying to survive after the bombs dropped.  The basement of the mansion functions as a large, lair-like area where you check-in, get missions, and can move up in rank using a computer system.  Part of the quest chain involves trying to reconstruct all the various items that make up the weapons and tools of the character--a sword, a stealth device, and a gun.  In order to do this, you have to head to specific locations to try to find specific objects that can then be turned into the full garb of the hero by a handy device called a fabricator that is part of the secret base.

Photomode has some fun frames to help capture Appalachia.

When I'm not following a quest line, I'm just exploring.  The map is scattered with tons of locations and a big part of the gameplay in Fallout has always hinged on finding places and then scavenging.  I've managed to accumulate an impressive amount of stuff--so much that I had to do some soul searching and clean out my inventory.  Past games have trained me to hoard (especially health items) and that's not much of an option in 76.   One of the irritating aspects of the loot system is that ammo cannot be sold to NPC vendors; it can, however, be sold to other players through CAMP vending machines.  I've had to figure out the best way to deal with the large amounts of varying ammo that I have built up--mostly, I'm just dropping it for some other lucky player to pick up.

One area that I want to work on more is my CAMP.  I've found a really nice location (close to a train station so I can run to the NPC vendor and sell stuff) but would like to spruce up the overall aesthetic of my building.  I found a plan for barn walls and converted my ramshackle, wooden structure into a slightly less, ramshackle wooden structure.  I also completed a quest to build a shelter but don't think I have enough concrete to make it a reality.  I'm going to work on visiting some other CAMPS to look for some cheaply priced plans for my own CAMP.

Next week....pics of my super, cute CAMP and swaggy armor (*hahahaha, that's unrealistic).  

Wasteful Wandering: Fallout 76

Sometimes you just have to go out on a limb and take a risk on a game that might be a bit iffy.  As a Fallout fan I was feeling a bit Fallout-curious about Fallout 76.  Due to many negative reviews (particularly when it first launched) I quickly decided that maybe this version of the apocalypse wasn't worth the attention.  In the next two-ish years, Fallout 76 has seen many major updates and I started to see the reviews tip in a more favorable direction.  I still teetered between grabbing it or not--quite frankly, multiplayer games really aren't my thing and I had many concerns about that particular aspect of the game.  But, like any good stalker, I continued to read reviews and look longingly at info about it.  Finally, after months of swaying between purchasing it or not, it was on sale for $13.  For $13 I was willing to take the risk and give it a try.

Thus far my experience in Fallout 76 has felt, well, very Fallout-like.  Similarly to the other games, your character starts off in a vault (Vault 76) and then is given a directive to go out and rebuild a new version of America in the post-apocalyptic world of Appalachia (West Virginia to be specific).  Character creation doesn't vary much from previous games although there does seem to be a bit more freedom in making small tweaks to specific facial features.

My character prepares to exit Vault 76.

Once you've finished gathering all the newbie materials from your vault you're ready to take the big step of entering the fray in the open world of Appalachia.  As a setting, Appalachia is pretty--lots of trees, mountains, and much less of a drab, ruined feeling than in the more urban games.  One of the first big gameplay changes that I had to get used to was the fact that there are more survival oriented elements built into the game--your character needs to periodically eat and drink or else they will suffer health losses.  A handy hunger and thirst meter indicates if it's time to chow down on some wasteland delicacies--maybe a nice mutt chop (finely crafted from the meat of a feral dog that attacked you) accompanied by some handcrafted tato juice.  The meal of a true wasteland champion!

The gameplay still largely functions around exploring the vast open world--poking through abandoned, ruined buildings and scavenging anything with remote value.  During your poking around you will also have to fight off the many dangerous post-apocalyptic denizens of Appalachia.  Many of the same enemies from previous games make an appearance--lumbering, robotic Protectrons; hulking, green super mutants; buzzing bloatflies--but there are also some new baddies; the Scorched are an infected group of humans who aren't quite as wasted away as feral ghouls.  Rather than blindly charging at you in flailing horror, the Scorched can wield a variety of weapons and will take cover.  Like feral ghouls, they also have horrible vocalizations that indicate their presence.  Since I'm still fairly low-level I doubt I've encountered the full menu of things that want to kill you.

One of the new features in Fallout 76 is the ability to craft your own personalized C.A.M.P.  Your C.A.M.P. is a portable device that allows you to build structures and workbenches and make your own personalized camp area.  The building function is very similar to settlement building in Fallout 4--you pick the individual pieces and snap them into place to form a structure.  You can also craft numerous workbenches to help you create, maintain, and modify your gear as well as craft survival materials (food, drinks, and chems).  Once you've built to your satisfaction, you can save a blueprint of your structures and easily move your camp as you search different areas of the map.  So far I've managed to make a number of very ugly, very square, boring buildings.  You can spruce up your C.A.M.P. by purchasing, unlocking, or finding plans to craft different material types for your buildings.

The most distinctive feature of Fallout 76 is the fact that it is multiplayer.  As you wander the wastes you will encounter other players--you can team up with them to accomplish tasks or you can wander on your own.  I've largely stuck to myself, but I have completed a couple of "events" (timed, special encounters that periodically pop up on the map and reward players for completion) with a few other players.  Thus far (fingers-crossed) my encounters have largely been peaceful and pleasant.  A fun feature is the ability to visit the camps of other players.  There is good reason to visit the camps of other players--you can purchase a vending machine for your camp and sell items you've looted using those machines.  Often other players will sell materials that you need (and, in most cases, much cheaper than the NPC vendors)--things like plans, mods, and recipes.

Playing instruments grants an AP buff.  Also, it's goofy.

My most interesting encounter with other players happened when a couple of people wandered into my camp and decided to drop some items they didn't need.  I'm not really sure why they did this, but they seemed to want me to loot them, so I did.  It was strange, but nice.

I've been half-heartedly following the main storyline missions (you're trying to seek out the vault overseer from Vault 76 and they've left a number of breadcrumbs in the form of holotapes scattered around the map) but have mostly just spent my time wandering and scavenging.  A major change in the gameplay that is taking some getting used to is the fact that you have to be much more selective in your looting--you cannot actively hoard in the traditional manner of other Bethesda games.  Storage in your camp is limited; food items will spoil over time, so lugging around a ton of food is usually a bad idea; it's a hard habit to break.

Thus far I've been enjoying my experience in Fallout 76.  Crafting my camp has been fun and I've enjoyed the simple pleasure of exploring a new world.  I'm struggling a bit with finding new/improved weapons and armor or crafting them and I'm still getting used to the vendor system in the game (it's undoubtedly better to purchase stuff from other players).  I feel like my $13 was well spent, but we'll see if that feeling persists as I play more.

Free to a Good Home

Love them or hate them, Epic Games has chosen to use free game giveaways as one of their strategies to lure in potential video game buyers.  If you're a skeptic, like me, your first reaction is usually to scoff and think thoughts along the lines of "they're probably giving away trash!"  Or, fun old-fashioned maxims like "you get what you pay for!"  And, in this case, you're paying for nothing, so the likely outcome is...a big, pile of nothing.  News flash though--they actually give away some games that can turn out to be fun.  They've also given away some big name titles (I mean, they aren't giving away anything that's a recent release) like Grand Theft Auto IV and Sid Meier's Civilization 6 (I snatched up Civ for reasons I can't fully comprehend--I am horrible at 4X games and usually give up on them very quickly).  I have grabbed a number of free titles in a number of different genres and, someday I might actually play them all (one of my free grabs didn't pan out--I tried to love Kingdom Come:  Deliverance and just couldn't do it).  One title in particular manages to grab me in a very strange way...the kind of way where I will obsessively play it and it gets a bit weirdly consuming.  I grabbed Surviving Mars at some point in the recent past, added it to my library, then decided to test it out this last summer (and then forgot to write it up).  I've spent the last few days obsessively trying not to ruin my Mars colony and I can definitely say that for a game that I received for free, it's fun (in an odd way I hope to explain).

Surviving Mars is a sort of strategy, survival/management simulation game that challenges you to create and grow a colony on Mars.  Creating a functioning colony isn't an easy task though and probably the biggest challenge in the game is trying to think at least one step ahead.  Your first task is to lay the groundwork for the basic infrastructure in your colony--you will need resources; then you will need to use those resources to build basic life support systems (oxygen and water); then, you finally get to the big first step...building your first dome--the basic Mars habitat where colonists will live, work, and hopefully thrive.  After you've finished getting your basic colony on its feet you have to manage all the growing pains that come with a bigger, more populous colony--how's your food supply?  Can it support a bump in population?  What about water and oxygen?  Will you need more power?  It's a constant litany of issues to consider, but watching your tiny colony grow into a thriving Martian empire (empire might be a bit of a strong word, growing your colony beyond a few hundred colonists is a serious task) is very engaging.

Part of my colony.  Features the Mega-Tridome

Pros:

+ Lots of tutorials.  Sometimes survival/management games can sort of throw you to the wolves, but Surviving Mars has a number of great tutorial features.  There is an optional tutorial selection on the main menu screen that lets you practice with many of the game mechanics before you start and there are also in-game pop-up screens that offer help.  I've only had to Google once!  If you're too leet for tutorials, you can completely close and skip them.

+ Controls are easy to use and understand.  Everything is categorized in a way that makes things easy to find.  A convenient right-click brings up the build menus with all the various options located under specifically themed classifications--infrastructure, production, life support, etc.

+ Multiple scenario choices with varying difficulty.  You can choose a sponsor (which establishes a set of goals for you to achieve and also will grant you a base amount of cash.  Sponsors also include a variable--for example, I picked the USA as my mission sponsor and they grant a periodic $500 million in funding.  Other sponsors offer their own perks.); you can choose a special "event" from a vague list of descriptions (that does helpfully indicate difficulty) that will randomly occur (I picked one where a series of metallic spheres floated around the map and would periodically fixate on my settlements...causing issues.  I had to research a way to wrangle the spheres onto special containment devices because the more energy they sapped the stronger they became and they would freeze everything in their vicinity); and you can pick the site for your base.  Picking a good site can be tricky--some areas are more prone to specific challenges (like meteor and/or dust storms) or are more difficult to build on due to rocky terrain or might only offer a limited amount of certain resources.  There's a lot of replayability built into the scenario options.

+ Challenges you to think ahead.  In order to be successful you have to figure out what the next major need in your colony will be.  In my most recent scenario I has just managed to get my colony into a comfortable almost self-sufficient state--then, thanks to a boost in comfort (and a lack of attention on my part), my colonists had a bit of a baby boom.  All of a sudden my colony population had shot way up and my comfortable food supply cushion started to disappear.  I had to quickly scramble to build up a new dome with a functioning farm and to use supply pods and rockets to slightly pad my food supply and hope that things could hold out.  Basically, there's always a crisis looming on the horizon and ultimate success rests on your ability to avoid it.

+ Specific mission goals to work toward.  Once you've picked your sponsor there are several different goals that you can work toward.  Meeting the goals set out by the mission sponsor will provide you with rewards--I met an early goal in my scenario and was rewarded with 5 free supply pods.  Generally, there are some good rewards--I've netted a free megadome which is great (megadomes are very resource spendy).  There are also colony specific milestones that don't vary from scenario to scenario--these reward a research boost and are generally rewarded for achieving specific population numbers.  Getting to 1,000 colonists takes some serious patience.

+ Periodic disasters and challenges.  Meteor storms can last for several days and drop deadly chunks of rock (on the plus side, sometimes those rocks are metallic or polymer and can be harvested) at various locations.  Dust devils can pop up and disable buildings or your rovers.  Life on Mars isn't easy.

+ Martian terrain looks cool.  Each map has the barren, red planet feeling that was clearly inspired by the images sent back by NASA landers.  Depending on the site you choose for your base you could also be battling difficult terrain--lots of rocky areas to clear or plateaus that require long ramps (ramps are the worst...they take forever to build).  

+ Multiple in-game radio stations give the music some fun variety.  There's not a ton of variety--there are 3 or 4 different stations, but they're kind of fun and feature music that can be kind of space-western to just more sci-fi/electronic.  There are even DJ's to make it feel like actual radio.

+ Different gameplay modes.  Other than the default mission mode there is also a challenge mode (which features maps with specific goals that must be met within a certain timeframe) and a creativity mode which lets you create your own colony without any fear of catastrophe.  There's a wide range of gameplay to suit games who run the gamut from casual to hardcore.

Cons:

- Slower style gameplay.  It's not an RTS that's fast-paced and requires you to make a jillion keystrokes.  Especially at the beginning when you're getting everything set up, it can feel quite slow.  Part of the challenge lies in the fact that if you push too fast you'll run into some sort of supply headache.  I think this could be a turn off for people who are lack patience or who are hoping for something that's very quick.  

- Certain tasks and abilities can be difficult to navigate.  I find navigating between my various domes to be a bit of a hassle at times--especially with things spread out the way they are on my current map.  Moving colonists can get quite tedious as there is no easy way to simply click into the place where you want to move them.  There is some micromanaging required in making sure that your colonists wind up living in the correct location (they lost -10 performance if they don't live in the dome where they work).  There's no easy way to shuffle people around.  

- There's really no "I win" moment.  You get rewards for accomplishing your sponsor goals and a little pop-up about hitting milestones, but basically you could play your colony forever.  It's open-ended and some people might have a problem with that.

Recommendation:

If you're looking for a slower paced, but still challenging strategy/management game with a fun Mars theme, Surviving Mars is a great option.  However, I don't think it's the kind of game that everyone will love--there's a lot of watching and analyzing, and we all know that patience isn't really much of a gaming virtue (although....it sort of is--stealth games, I'm looking at you).  It manages to suck me in and keep me playing, but I usually hit a point where I start getting a bit bored.

For a game that I paid $0 for, I've really enjoyed Surviving Mars.

A Rip, Tearin' Good Time--Doom: Eternal

I'm fresh off finishing my playthrough of Doom: Eternal and it's time to write up my thoughts.  A tinge of adrenaline is still pumping through my veins because the final fights are a real doozy and finishing them up felt very good.  And, even though I've finished up the campaign, there's still more to be done!

To summarize my playthrough--I chose the default difficulty (Hurt Me Plenty) and played through the entire campaign but didn't touch the multiplayer (which looks interesting).  I ended up re-playing almost all of the levels before finishing the campaign because I misunderstood some of the re-play mechanics (I will get to that) so my total played time is probably not a good reflection of how long it would take to play through the campaign--I would estimate a single playthrough will take you between 20-24 hours (of course that depends on if you spend time trying to find collectibles of just speed through the missions).

Pros:

+ Core gameplay is familiar, but improved.  Your ultimate task is to shoot a bunch of demons, stagger them, and then loose a stunning variety of glory kills onto them.  The improved part comes in the fact that the movement in Eternal just felt...smoother, somehow.  It actually really threw me off at first and I was constantly running past demons and having a hard time adjusting.

+ Each level features multiple set combat encounters and they are all an orgy of demon-slaying.  Completing a gore nest is Doom (2016) could be a bit crazy, but Eternal took that concept and then multiplied it...by a lot.  Each wave of demons that spawn makes every encounter feel just a little bit desperate--your ammo is low--chainsaw!  Your health is low--glory kill!  Cooldowns!  It's a constant flow of violence and figuring out the best way to scramble around the area.  Each combat encounter has an arena-like feel and is packed with tons of nooks and crannies to find--there are jump pads, monkey bars (a new addition), and portals to help you dash away from the demon hordes.  They're a lot of fun.

+ Addition of dash ability.  Now, Doomguy has the very useful option of quickly dashing away from danger.  This ability also lends itself to platforming because it can be used while airborne to clear large gaps and navigate to climbing walls (another new feature).  The more mobile nature of movement means that levels can be more spread out and feature vertical traversal.

+ Lore with surprising depth.  I was very surprised by the story in the game--I guess I went into it with pretty low expectations, but for a game that is primarily about creatively slaughtering demons, Id has managed to create a story that involves the forces of Hell, the backstory of Doomguy, and a brand new, God-like race.

+ Environments are really great.  The levels take place in a variety of settings--the demon infested ruins of Earth, a secret, high-tech cultist lab, the ruins of a formerly great civilization, a city hidden in the core of Mars...and many more.  There's still quite a bit of gore and satanic-like influence (if that's your jam) throughout the game, but there's more than just a gooey, pile of demon refuse.

+ Challenges.  Specific levels contain special "slayer gates" which are additional combat encounters that are built to be more challenging.  To access these gates players need to find a special key hidden within the level.  Players have to use the resources they have and will lose anything they spend inside a slayer gate.  These encounters are designed to push you to use your full arsenal of slayer abilities.  Completing them all unlocks a special weapon.

+ Old, familiar weapons with a few changes.  There's really only one new weapon type--the arbalest, a crossbow-like energy weapon--and they decided to ditch the pistol (a good choice).  Like the previous games as you progress there are opportunities to earn weapon points which can be used to unlock special attacks and improvements for each weapon.  Some of the weapon options are familiar, but some have changed.  One of the most challenging parts of the weapon set up is that your weapons share an ammo pool and keeping an eye on your ammo is much more necessary than it was in Doom (2016).  You're gonna be busting out the chainsaw...a lot.

Doomguy & Bunny (2019)

+ Collectibles.  Each map is scattered with various collectibles--there are demon themed toys, records, cheat codes (funnily, they are on 3.5" floppy disks), and codex entries.  Finding them means being extra vigilant on each map and looking for breakable walls or tucked away areas.  The records unlock posters in your home base that allow you to select music from past Id games (Doom, Quake, and even the classic Commander Keen) that will play while you tool around.  The disks unlock actual cheat codes that can be enabled while you play (and there's quite a variety of options).  The fun part of the cheat codes is that they don't actually hinder your progression.  It's a fun addition to explore Doomguy's base and check out the posters (with very heavy-metal inspired artwork) and the shelves of toys.  There's also an old computer which is locked and requires a hidden code--I am fairly certain you can play classic Doom on it (I didn't look up the code).

+ Additional, cooldown based weapons.  Doomguy's suit now features a special spring-loaded blade and a shoulder-mounted flamethrower.  The blade is handy for creating a stunning variety of glory kills that involve slicing...things and the flamethrower douses demons with flame which makes them drop armor.  They also added in an ice bomb on top of the stock grenade.  Honestly, it's a lot of cooldowns to keep track of, but it gives you a lot of versatility when it comes to dealing with different demons.  Oh, and there's the blood punch--a powerful, wave-like punching ability that is powered by glory kills and can easily lay waste to a group of lesser demons or seriously damage the larger variety.

+ A mix of old demon types and new, really annoying ones.  Imps still scamper around and fling fireballs at you from afar, but they fall into the cannon fodder category--they are plentiful and convenient sources of a quick glory kill. New demons include the stupidly obnoxious Marauder--an agile, armored foe that is very difficult to hit and kill (until you figure it out...then it's still annoying, but not as anger inducing).  One new addition to the gameplay is that larger demons feature weakpoints that when disabled (through some careful aiming or nice grenade throws) greatly weaken them.

+  Upgrade system that is slightly different.  You can upgrade your suit with special tokens which are hidden throughout the game.  Each upgrade costs a certain number of tokens and is built around specific abilities--one set reduces damage from environmental hazards; another improves your grenade; there are upgrades for the ice bomb; and there are some handy navigation upgrades.  There are also special runes which will grant improved abilities much like the runes in Doom (2016)--you can have three active at a time.  A new upgrade category involves finding special crystals and is tied to your flamethrower and blood punch abilities--they also will beef up your armor, health, and ammo.

+ Warnings.  Stick with me on this one, but I am a fan of games giving you notice when something could potentially be closed off to you or might be too difficult.  I encountered a slayer gate early in the game and, after failing miserably, I was told that it was probably better to do slayer gates later on in the game (after acquiring upgrades and more weapons).  I also received adequate warning that I wouldn't be able to return to base once I started the final sequence of missions--this meant wrapping up any unlockable items in the base (including doing the slayer gates).  I appreciate this very basic feature and the fact that it saves you from the headache of realizing you should've done something earlier (it's also necessary since there aren't any manual saves).

+ Some fairly standard boss fights and then two semi-bonkers boss fights.  There were fewer boss fights than I remember in the previous game (but I think I'm probably misremembering that) but the boss fights, particularly at the end of the game, are insane.  Big boss + tons and tons of demons flying at you--I died a lot.  One nice feature of dying a lot is that the game offers to give you "sentinel armor" which buffs you and lets you take reduced damage.  This is great for times when you get stuck and absolutely cannot progress.  I'm stubborn though and opted to forgo this feature and instead just die a lot--but, I did eventually do it!

+ Replayability and additional game modes.  The option to select missions is unlockable very early in the game and offers a convenient way to find any collectibles that you missed.  There are also "master levels" which are supposed to be the same levels, but with 1000x more demons (more challenging).  I am not big on multiplayer, so I didn't check it out, but it seems to feature the ability to play as some type of demon or as Doomguy--that is...different.

Cons:

- Buggy demons.  This didn't happen extremely frequently, but it happened at least three times throughout the campaign.  Once, I had a demon get stuck on top of a platform; another time I had one get stuck on a weird, ledge-like area; and the last time an Arachnotron wedged itself into a weird nook where I couldn't shoot it (and it was clearly stuck).  In some regards, this can be nice--you can kill them while they're stuck.  In others, like my Arachnotron situation, you have to reload a checkpoint.

- Crashes.  Oddly, I had no crashes while I was playing through the main campaign.  However, when I went back to re-play the levels, I started having frequent crashes.  One of the suggested fixes was turning off the Steam overlay, so I tried it and it solved the crashing issue.

- Soundtrack isn't as epically heavy metal as Doom (2016).  If I remember correctly, there was some kind of dispute with the composer and the heavy metal-esque stuff ended up not being fully complete (there is definitely a metal feeling to some sequences).  The music is still good, but it's not 2016 good.

Recommendation:

If you enjoyed Doom style demon slaying (circa 2016), the formula has been tweaked, and improved.  There are chaotically charged combat encounters that feel frantic but are very fun to complete.  The glory kills are sadistically violent (break a demons arm, tear off that arm, and then cram it into said demons, big, ugly mouth) but oh, so enjoyable (if you're not a fan of violent video games you probably want to give anything Doom a fairly wide margin).  It's blood-pumping madness, but dammit, it's fun.

Rip, Tear....and, Collect?

I've spent a bunch of time the last couple of weeks enjoying the cathartic experience of Doom: Eternal.  I'm not quite done with the main campaign and am attempting to replay levels to find collectibles I missed and complete challenges.  In general, I'm not a big FPS enthusiast, but Doom (2016) was just so much fun that I couldn't pass up the chance to violently destroy more demons.  And wooo, boy, are there more demons to murder in Doom: Eternal!

My first impressions of the game were a bit mixed.  One of the things that I immediately noticed is that the learning curve and difficulty at the beginning of the game is a tad brutal.  Let's just say that I was dying a lot and had reached a point of frustration.  Luckily, I stuck with it and now that I've beefed up Doomguy's suit, runes, and arsenal...I feel more like the demon slaying badass from 2016.  (I'm not playing on some uber-difficulty either--I opted for "hurt me plenty" which is the default difficulty)  If you find yourself dying a ton in the beginning of the game, don't panic, it does get easier, but it does take awhile.

So, what has changed in this newest iteration of the classic FPS Doom?  For one thing, Doomguy has beefed up his demon-slaying arsenal by adding in some suit-based goodies--his Praetor Suit now includes an arm mounted, spring-loaded blade and a shoulder-mounted flamethrower.  The blade is used to add a stunning amount of gory variety to glory kills--now, instead of merely enjoying punching some exploding heads (which you do still get to enjoy) you can also bask in the magic of slicing demons into fun size chunks or skillfully jabbing their vulnerable eyeballs, hearts, or explodey-bits.  Some of the best glory kills involve chopping parts off of demons and then smacking them with their own arms or wings--it's violent, but oh so fun.  The flamethrower attachment adds in the ability (on a cooldown timer) to periodically douse a group of demons in a curtain of fire.  Burning demons drop armor and will drop even more armor if you glory kill them.  It's a handy way to quickly refill your depleted armor.

The other big change is the fact that Doomguy is much more agile with the addition of a quick recharging dodge that also serves as a gap clearing mechanism.  The dodge is useful for quickly getting out of hairy combat situations and putting some distance between Doomguy and the absolute hordes of demons that he faces.  But, with increased power, comes increased responsibility and there are some sequences of light platforming (I'm going to call it light, because most of the sequences aren't too difficult).  I've read some mixed impressions about the addition of platforming--some people have been very turned off by it because it hasn't been a traditional part of Doom.  Personally, I find that the platforming sequences add some variety to levels that help make them seem less linear (although they are linear).

The core of the gameplay is largely the same--you deck out Doomguy with an arsenal of weapons, you blast demons until they are staggered, and then you get to enjoy slicing them into chunks or punching their ugly faces off.  The maps in Eternal have quite a bit of variety this time around--you're not always journeying through a bloody, satanic, cesspool but might find yourself in the ruins of an ancient city or a futuristic base.  They decided to get rid of the physical gore nests and instead there are specific parts of the map with fixed combat encounters that function much like the gore nests--you face massive waves of varying demons and have to do your best to survive.  One of the other major challenges I struggled with early in the game was ammo--you'll probably find yourself pretty thirsty for ammo and have to be ready to bust out the chainsaw for ammo refills (I rarely used the chainsaw in Doom 2016).  In general, I've felt like the levels are longer than in the previous game and that the set encounters are much more chaotic--you will face huge numbers of demons and have to be ready to scramble around the area and to manage your various cooldowns (the downside of having more in your arsenal means more cooldowns to manage).

Another notable change to combat is the fact that larger demons have weak points--vulnerable areas that can greatly reduce the amount of damage they do.  For example, the new, part-spider, part-robot enemy, the Arachnotron, features a large cannon mounted on top of its bulging cranium--shooting that cannon will destroy it and render the Arachnoton much less dangerous (it can't shoot you from range, but that doesn't mean it can't still kill you).  These weakpoints are difficult to hit as most of the demons that feature a weakpoint are fairly agile and like to jump around.  Demons that feature weakpoints hit like a truck though, so it's generally in your best interest to take the time to carefully aim.

Doomguy has a nice place to kick back.

A fun feature is the fact that Doomguy now has a home base where he can hang up his shotgun and kick back and relax.  In between missions you have a chance to return to this floating fortress and use resources you collect during the missions to unlock upgrades located throughout the base.  There are several different items hidden throughout each level--you can find demon-themed toys (akin to the Doomguy toys from 2016), records that unlock music from classic Doom, Quake, and other Id games (weirdly including Commander Keen--a very fun game I remember from my childhood), and codex entries that reveal the much more complicated lore (yes, there's actual lore!) present in the new game.

I am hoping to finish up Doom: Eternal soon and write up a full review.  So far, I'm having a demon-punching good time.

How the Sausage is Made--Not For Broadcast

Last weekend, Steam decided to offer up a quick, weekend Halloween themed sale.  I decided to knock a couple of spots off of my wishlist and grabbed Doom: Eternal and then waffled about buying a lower priced, more indie title (I generally like to grab a game that falls into more of a standard fare category and one that's a bit quirky and can offer something different).  After scrolling through the numerous indies that populate my wishlist, I decided to go with Not for Broadcast.

Not for Broadcast offers you the chance to go behind the scenes and play video editor for a fictional news program.  The core of the gameplay hinges around your ability to multi-task--you need to manage four different cameras, be ready to quickly censor any naughty words that might tumble from the mouths of many of the colorful guests, pick which advertisements will play during commercial breaks, and occasionally try to time camera changes to the tune of whatever random musical number is being performed or played.

There's also potentially some choice based elements that somehow influence the outcome in the game (I haven't quite figured it out).  In between broadcasts you are presented with text-based scenarios that revolve around the events revealed during the newscasts.  You get to choose how you want to deal with these events.

The game is set in Britain and many of the events depicted on the fictional news station revolve around the election of a new political party that is seeking to radically redistribute wealth.  On the very first broadcast you have to edit the major announcement from the whacky leaders of this party--a very serious woman and a very drunken older man who likes to keep you ready to smash the censor button--as they announce that they will be seizing the income of the wealthiest members of society and spreading it around.  It's fictional class warfare that plays out in a very silly way.  You get to choose how you present the ideas of this new party--you can choose to play the party advertisements during commercial breaks (or not); periodically you get to choose the images for headlines and you can either choose to pick favorable ones or ones that are less flattering.  Do you toe the party line or do you take a more rebellious stance?  The text-based scenarios that play out between broadcasts also challenge you to decide how you will deal with the challenges in the fictional world--Advent has revoked passports for the 1% and your brother-in-law shows up at your house asking if he can use yours to flee to country...do you give it to him?  Your son wants to join a new Advent "youth club" (umm, freaky?) and wants you to sign his permission slip?  Do you do it?

Through multiple broadcast scenarios you get to see how things  play out as people deal with the political upheaval.  On top of that, other whacky events also start impacting the nation (which I won't reveal because they are spoiler-y).  Let's just say that the 1% are not thrilled about their new status and things start getting chaotic.

Pros:

+ Gameplay is relatively simple, but to truly master it is challenging.  Each broadcast scenario is scored with a letter grade based on how well you've managed to edit it--to earn higher scores you need to make sure you're frequently switching shots (basically, you don't want to sit on one camera for more than 10 seconds) and how well you're managing to keep the shot on whoever is doing the talking (which can be quite chaotic).  On top of that you need to make sure that you're censoring any foul language used by the hosts or their many...interesting...guests.  There's a lot to manage and it can be quite hectic, but it's fun.

+ Manages to have a somewhat serious story but also to just be extremely goofy.  In one broadcast a group of high school students perform a truly horrible skit and musical number that is so cringey that you will be laughing.  In a sports-themed broadcast a very odd game with completely nonsensical rules is being played (and then gets stormed by a group of naked, rich protestors which means you have to do some quick editing to avoid any...parts...being broadcast live).

+ After you complete a broadcast you have the option of viewing the content you just produced.  It's enjoyable to see the finished product and does make you feel like you have legitimate skills (you don't).  There's also a fun option to be able to watch content that occurred on cameras that you weren't broadcasting--it gives you more insight into the story and just more silly scenarios to experience.

+ There are choices to be made throughout the different scenarios and they can impact what you see on the broadcasts.  I am still not completely clear about how much your choices impact the broadcasts--I played through the scenarios and made different choices but didn't see a big difference (I'm not sure that I picked enough divergent options though).  There's replayability built into the gameplay.

+ Challenge modes.  After you've completed the full scenario (what's currently available) you unlock a variety of challenges that revolve around editing scenarios with certain restrictions in place.  In one scenario all helpful labeling on the broadcast booth is removed; in another there's an electrical short that means you have to be selective about which buttons you press (or you get zapped to death); and there are many more.

Cons:

- I didn't have any serious crashing, but I did have a couple of crashes.  Some of the broadcasts take awhile to play through so it could be quite frustrating to have to go back and replay them.  I enjoyed the gameplay a lot though so I wasn't too troubled by having to replay.

- It's currently in early access and is only partially complete.  The pandemic has also set back their production schedule.  The good news is that the second part of the game seems to be back in production.  As with any early access games, it's a work in progress.

Final thoughts:

If you're a fan of unique games that have something new to offer, I would recommend checking out Not for Broadcast.  Even though it's in early access, and isn't complete, it's a breath of fresh air.  The gameplay is a lot of fun and the stories within the game are a perfect balance between being serious and being goofy.  I'm looking forward to the second part of the game being added and to find out what happens in faux-Britain.