Archive for February 8th, 2011

Despised Lightning Storm
All I do is burn and die
Again and again

Rather than just being crass and busting out with a statement about hating my latest level, lightning bolt storm, I’ve channeled my emotional response into a Haiku. I feel a little guilty about quitting this level without completing it, or even coming close. I never do that. I’ll stick with a wretched movie to the bitter end, usually staying through the end credits. I can think of only three books I was too annoyed to complete. I like to complete things. One of the great things about these community levels is they’re bite-sized. Even if a level is annoying, it probably won’t take long to complete. Even if its tricky, it won’t require too much of a time investment to work it out.

A quick look at my profile page on the Little Big Planet website reveals that I played this level twenty times. I’m shocked to see that, no pun intended, because I can’t imagine I played the thing for longer than five minutes in total. The level is made up of huge chunks of electrified metal falling from the sky. As far as I know, that’s all there is to the level. I never got more than three jumps in without dying. Here’s the thing. When my little sackbot dies by electrocution, ugh, the sound is horrible. And horrifying. Please note that I’m not using words like “irritating” or “annoying” or “irksome”. I chose those words deliberately. I’ve come to like my little sack dude. A lot. It’s hard not to. The little guy is adorable. His electrocution screams get under my skin. In a level where this happens intermittently this is bad enough. On this level it was constant. I’m befuddled by the life limit on these community levels. I usually wonder, in frustration, why an amateur designer would do that. Here, at last, I became grateful for it.

As I said, I’m usually driven to complete these things. This time I just felt that life’s too short to hear that awful screaming of my sackbot any longer.

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[Ed. note: Our man in the war with the Cylons, Wendelius, has jumped into the Battlestar Galactica Online beta. It’s a free-to-play, browser-based MMO. Ew, right? Maybe not. Read on.]

See the Undock button…? Once you are in a space station, you will be eager to press it. BGO is like an ugly duckling: all ungainly and clumsy in space stations, but quite graceful and much more fun to watch in space.

The stations do serve a purpose though. That’s where you get to sell the scraps you have collected in space and to buy and equip additional ship parts, weapons and ammo. It’s also where Adama Jr will give you daily missions to complete for more XP and rewards.

Read the initial impressions here and try the game yourself here.

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The caption for that Dungeon Siege III screenshot, which was just released today, is “Uhh, stuff happens”.

That’s pretty much what you get when you tap the screenshot button at some random moment in an effects-heavy action game. If you look closely at that screenshot, you’ll see, like, gnomes or goblins among whatever spell is popping off. Summon Orange, I think it’s called.

I’m really looking forward to Dungeon Siege III, which will be out on May 31. Certainly not because of these screens or this trailer. In fact, in spite of them. The appeal of Dungeon Siege III for me is that I want to find out what’s next from the developer of Alpha Protocol and Fallout: New Vegas. Where do you go from there?

After the jump, a few more glimpses at where you go from there Continue reading →

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I tumbled down the rabbit-hole with Magic the Gathering Tactics, and like Alice I’ve run into some wonderful things, and also some unpleasant ones. It’s a game with a number of rough edges that costs too much, needs more cards, and likely has balance issues, yet I found myself playing it day after day and thinking about it when I wasn’t playing it. Richard Garfield should be flogged for inventing the collectible card game.

After the jump, Asher in Wonderland Continue reading →

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