A Little of This and a Little of That

Lately, my habit has been to bounce back and forth between several games which means that I don't really have one specific game to write about.  I attribute this inability to focus on the fact that it's May--the school year is winding down and my teacher brain is functioning at a fairly low level by the time I get home after work.  Plus, the end of the school year is notoriously crammed full of different events, functions, meetings, and other random obligations that gobble up chunks of time.  Yeah, it all basically amounts to me just picking something generally soothing to play just to relax for a little while.

My beautiful truck.

My first choice for relaxation is EuroTruck Simulator 2.  I had played quite a bit of ETS2, but had set it aside in favor of playing new games I had bought or older games that I've been replaying and reviewing.  The nice thing about ETS2 is that it's easy to hop back into the game after time away.  The other really nice thing about ETS2 is that there are continued updates to content and random events.  Right now there is a in-game EuroTruck racing event going on (read about it here).  No, you're not actually racing trucks, but you are delivering racing components to different locations in Europe.  Your goal is to deliver twelve loads of racing components to twelve different cities (the trips must be over 200 km).  For completing the event players can unlock a variety of in-game and Steam items--a unique racing themed paint job, a racer bobblehead for the interior of your truck, and three different pennants.  These random events are a fun way to keep people involved and the in-game rewards are unique.

SCS seems dedicated to keeping ETS2 fresh and are also updating the game to make it look more modern.  Germany is getting a big revamp and other areas are to follow.  There's also news that the next DLC will add the Baltic States.  All this new content has me excited to grow my company "Keep on Truckin'" and explore more of Europe.

When I'm not driving my EuroTruck, I've found myself back in the floating world of Columbia in BioShock:  Infinite.  I've already played through it several times, so there's no surprises in the story, but I'm enjoying going back and paying attention to the small details.  The skylines are one of the best additions to the game--it's insanely fun to zip around on them and then deliver a leaping death blow to guards below.

Elizabeth is a great companion.

I've been thinking alot about Elizabeth as a character.  At first I wasn't so sure that I liked her much as a companion, but I am finding that there are many things that I enjoy about Elizabeth.  I like how in the beginning she's so naive and that her excitement is so palpable.  It's always heartwarming to break her out of her tower and then watch her dancing on the beach.  As the story progresses you see that innocent charm melt away--she sees all the killing and evil and it very clearly impacts her.  I watch how brilliantly her body language changes throughout the game--she's animated to reflect all those changes in her attitude--she goes from a giddy, prancing girl to a serious, calculating woman all within the span of the game.  It's something I haven't focused on much--there are so many bonkers pieces of the story to figure out--but I am having a newfound respect for.

The fact that Elizabeth aids you in combat is also something that I enjoy.  All too often your video game companions are either squishy escort missions who require extra guarding or are invincible side quests that you can mostly ignore.  Elizabeth definitely falls within the second category, but it's refreshing to see her play a role in the world--she will automatically take cover and help you in combat--throwing you ammo, salts, or health when you need it or opening tears to allow access to weapons, materials, or terrain.  She can pick locks and help you solve codes.  Yeah, she isn't just some daft girl who needs saving and I'm glad she was written that way.

The last game that I've given a little bit of time to is American Truck Simulator.  I decided to buy the New Mexico DLC when it was last on sale and wanted to check out the additional content.  New Mexico adds a lot of stunning scenery to the already beautiful American West as well as many, many more miles of roads to traverse and cities to visit.  SCS has said that they will be adding more states to ATS and I look forward to the addition of my home state of Oregon in the near future.  It's definitely fun seeing the U.S. translated into the game, but I've found that I actually prefer EuroTruck Simulator to its American counterpart.  There's just something really fun and foreign about navigating the European roadways.

Whatever you're playing or doing, enjoy the extra long Memorial Day weekend!