I’m a little weirded out by the name of today’s level for some reason. Flower Face Adventures. The name…I dunno…it just feels weird to me. I suppose I’ll have to look into that.
Good level though. Especially as a follow up to yesterday’s level’s intensity. The challenge here is minimal, but the music is soothing. I also really like the rain section. It’s minor, but the visuals and the sounds work for me. This level as a follow-up just feels right. Plus there’s this weird dissonance. I loved the way I got to use the grappling hook in yesterday’s level. I hate the way I have to use it in today’s. It’s velcro-annoying.
On the whole, a lovely level.
As the champion of Dragon Age II, Garrett Hawke’s been dealt a shabby hand. After losing most of his family and many of his friends, he’s cast adrift. He began as a refugee and leaves the stage, in most cases, just the same. The world in tatters and ruin behind him. Nightmares of blood mages and abominations plague his dreams.
After the jump, I think we owe the man better than that. Continue reading →
(This post contains minor spoilers. You have been warned.)
I have a feeling that there are two reasons Dragon Age II slows down for some people early in Act 2. The first is that the game for the most part takes place in the only slightly changing city of Kirkwall, broken up by cookie-cutter dungeons and occasional interludes outside the city walls. The second is that by the middle of the game, you realize that Dragon Age II has abandoned almost every pretense of dressing up fetch quests.
After the jump, is this really what a hero does? Continue reading →
Right?
Uh.
I’m cruising by my son working at the computer the other morning. It’s early, before school. He likes to steal a few minutes in the morning to work on his drawings of Bionicles, these warrior toys put out by Lego. He’s got a bunch of the toys, as well as some of the newer lineup of toys called Hero Factory, also put out by Lego. These figures are made to be assembled by kids, then broken down and reassembled into new characters by swapping parts.
Anyone who has ever dealt with Lego toys will know what I mean. My kid is nuts over these things, so much so that he has researched the mythology that surrounds the Bionicles and their universe. He understands this mythology with a depth that I find astounding, and he is all about abiding by the rules of this universe in making his drawings of the Bionicles. He does sets of drawings. Each set has six characters. No more. No less. Each set is a team based on the fact that in the Bionicle universe, the Toas–basically warrior leaders of the Bionicles–represent elements over which they have power. Earth, Ice, Water, Air, Stone, and Fire. He may create new characters for his drawings. He may totally make up new names that aren’t official Bionicle names. But the teams will always be six and always represent those elements. Because those are the rules of that universe.
After the jump, you never studied Continue reading →
Final Fantasy Tactics was one of my favorite turn-based strategy games for years, and I loved the remastered edition that came out on the PSP a few years back. That was my favorite game in a genre that includes such classics as Fire Emblem, Shining Force, and Tactics Ogre. However, I never got into Tactics Ogre when it was available on the older consoles (such as the PSOne) so I was extra excited to see the return of this classic gameplay on a handheld I have little reason to power on.
After the jump, let me introduce my army. Continue reading →
