cdalley1979 Reviews

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015 Video Game)

This is why I keep playing games

[10/10 · 8 January 2019]

The Witcher 3 (along with it's two excellent expansions) was the only single player game I played in 2018. This was partially due to having limited time available for gaming and spending some of that time playing online games with friends, but it's also owing to the fact that this game offers an astounding amount of great content. While this review is in large part a desire to share my deep appreciation of this game, I also want to point out that I do think that it isn't for everyone. Hopefully this review will help you decide if this game is worth the considerable time investment if you're still on the fence about it.

Visuals and Presentation:

Let's start with what immediately impressed me: this game simply looks fantastic, even playing it a few years after release. The vast and varied wilderness is so gorgeous I would frequently find myself stopping to just take it all in. Things are particularly spectacular at sunset- with distant cities and mountain ranges taking on a painting-like quality through the haze of distance. The weather and lighting effects are among the best I've seen and the quality of facial animation is very good for a game with this much content. At it's best, it's on par with games that have fully motion-captured performances- it's really astounding when you compare it to other games of this scope.

Gameplay:

I've heard several people say that they didn't enjoy the combat in this game. To me, it was satisfying but with room for improvement.

Geralt feels very agile and fun to control, and while you do fight lots of drowners, the game provides a good variety of foes. My main complaint is you can get through the vast majority of fights by simply dodging and counter attacking with your swords. It's not that the combat is bad, it's more that there's just not quite enough depth to it given the game's length. The game's other systems besides swordplay (signs and alchemy and the crossbow) just weren't all that interesting to me and seemed more ancillary or situational. On a positive note, this game does have some of the most satisfyingly brutal execution cinematics ever.

One of this games great strengths- and missed opportunities- is the bestiary. As a Witcher, Geralt has a wealth of information on the different types of monster's behavior and habitats and weaknesses, but the take away from this usually amounts to applying a certain type of oil to your sword beforehand or using a particular bomb or sign. The game is at it's best when it was requires you to delve into Geralt's pool of knowledge by baiting a monster or identifying a particular type of spirit or performing a ritual to break a curse. These moments are somewhat few and far between, however, and they are usually conveyed through the story rather than actual gameplay.

Levelling up in this game is also not particularly exciting. One of my favorite aspects of RPGs is being able to shape your character as you level, molding him or her to your own particular vision. In this game, levelling grants Geralt one additional perk point, but these perks for the most part provide a small, incremental improvement that is not very noticable. By the end of the game you do end up having a degree of control over your combat proficiencies, but it takes quite a while to get to that point.

In addition to the combat, you also spend a fair amount of time investigating the world using Geralt's heightened witcher senses to track people down or piece together past events. It is a good mechanic, but becomes tiresome by the end of the game.

Story:

It may not seem like I've been lavishing this game with praise up until this point. But now we've arrived at what makes it so special: it's huge cast of fantastic characters, it's unparalleled quest design, and its vast and immersive world.

Not long before I finished the game, I decided to look back through the glossary of characters. I had put in well over 100 hours at this point, and still remembered the vast majority of them, even many of the minor ones. I remembered their stories and their often complex and evolving relationships with Geralt. Ciri and Yennefer and Triss. The Bloody Baron and The Crones of Crookback Bog. Sigismund Dijkstra. Clan an Craite. Gaunter O'dimm and Olgeird von Everec and Shani. Regis. I remember not just the quests that brought me into contact with this varied cast, but the meticulously detailed locales these quests took place in. From Idealic White Orchard to dirty and deadly Velen, from bustling Novigrad to the harsh but beautiful Skellige, from the countless ruins and villages to Beauclair, the city out of a fairy tail.

This stuff is the reason I keep playing RPGs. To feel so immersed in a game world is a rare thing- so much needs to come together perfectly or the effect is ruined. The Witcher 3 not only gets so many things right, it transcends what has thus far been accomplished in the medium. That's why it earns my highest recommendation.

If you're someone that just wants fun gameplay, this game may not be for you. But if you love to get deeply immersed in a game world, and if you appreciate a good narrative, you owe it to yourself to play this game.

Thimbleweed Park (2017 Video Game)

Well worth it for anyone wanting to revisit the genre

[8/10 · 10 August 2017]

I really loved the setting of this game. It was both unique and a very practical choice for a game of limited size and scope- not unlike the Caribbean islands of its predecessor in that respect. The pixel art was really masterfully done and helped create a strong sense of place. That's something that has always been important to me in the adventure genre. I did find the music somewhat lacking- it conveyed the tone well enough but wasn't nearly on the level of Monkey Island. But maybe I'm setting the bar a bit too high there.

The puzzles were great as well. If anything tends to turn me off from the genre, it's poor puzzle design. You know what I'm talking about...the ones you can only figure out by interacting with objects in about every possible way. Thimbleweed has puzzles that are difficult enough to be satisfying without being nonsensical- with perhaps only a couple exceptions.

I quite enjoyed the story as well. The ending will be divisive but I found it very memorable. Kind of surprisingly somber but it will definitely stick with me.

The one major complaint i have is the writing for Ransom the clown. If you're going to write a famous and successful insult comic, you can't have him spout off insults that are bland and tired and forgettable. A shame, because there was a lot of potential there. He also feels very tacked-on, with minimal connection to the actual story.

Overall, I would say that this game is well worth it for fans of the genre, and I hope that we see another release from the developers in the future.

Dishonored (2012 Video Game)

Great stealth game elevated by a fantastic setting.

[9/10 · 10 April 2017]

I've never really liked the concept of stealth games. Sneaking around, trying to avoid attention… probably with frequent reloading of quicksaves until you make it through the more challenging sections unnoticed. It just seemed like a chore.

But I really enjoyed Dishonored. In the past, I've equated stealth with a sense of fear. But in this game, you feel deadly and powerful from the shadows. I loved studying the brilliantly designed levels from stealth- watching patrolling guards and scanning for alternate routes to your objective. Deciding how to approach the obstacles before me.

This game is filled with choices, after all. There are large choices- deciding the fates of prominent Dunwall citizens- but you are constantly making small choices as you progress through the game. I started out intending to be a ruthless assassin, but after murdering the high overseer and Pendleton's brothers- and being rewarded with extremely satisfying slow-motion kill animations- I found myself gravitating toward the non-lethal options.

This is probably a reflection of how invested I was becoming in the city of Dunwall. And let me make it clear that this is the game's biggest strength in my view- the setting. A dirty, plague-ridden, early industrial city with a dose of occult magic thrown in- all of it beautifully imagined. And there's this undercurrent of sorrow brought on by heavy reliance on whale oil, along with a general uncertainty about the future. This is great world building… it may not have quite the depth of the first Bioshock or Mass Effect, but visually, it is unforgettable.

My only real complaint is that the characters themselves were less than memorable, and the game's twist was a bit weak. But this isn't an RPG, and I'm glad it didn't try to be one.

All in all, Dishonored offers great stealth-based gameplay, elevated by one of the most memorable settings I've experienced in recent years.

The Last of Us (2013 Video Game)

It doesn't get much better.

[10/10 · 5 February 2017]

Story and Presentation

I knew this game was going to be dark and desolate going in, but what a prologue!

Its violence is anything but gratuitous, though. As awful as Joel's first exposure to the cordyceps infection was, you come to realize that everyone you meet through the course of this game has experienced their own nightmares and struggles in the wake of the epidemic, and the whole game is an examination of the way it has shaped both individuals and humanity as a whole.

While the picture it paints may be bleak, I didn't find it difficult to believe. It's easy to imagine the more kind and peaceful portion of humanity being culled while the selfish and pragmatic persist.

In great works of fiction you always have the sense that you're being granted a window into a world that has existed long before you showed up, and that's certainly the case with The Last of Us. The characters you meet all have their own stories and relationships that you gradually come to appreciate as you progress. I was really struck by the subtlety with which this game reveals its characters. The first hour or so after the prologue may not contain much game play, but it does a great job of showing you who Joel is- or rather who he's become- since the prologue. His stoicism and desire to leave the past behind could have easily made him into a bland cliché, but instead it sets the stage for his ever-evolving relationship with Ellie.

Did I see where this relationship was heading? Absolutely. But it was done so well that I couldn't help enjoying it. The dialogue and voice acting are as good as it gets, and the facial animation is incredible, with enough detail and nuance to convey real emotion.

While humanity in this game is frequently ugly, there's a real beauty to the setting, with its crumbling cities being slowly reclaimed by nature. I found myself being grateful for the quiet travel sections between combat, as they gave me an opportunity to just look around and take in the imagery. And while I love sci fi with more exotic, far-future setting, it's fascinating to travel through the ruins of places that are so familiar. Whether you're sneaking through a derelict mall or rifling through the drawers of a cluttered dorm room, it all just feels so rooted in reality.

As great as Joel and Ellie's story is, I also found the little bits of story tucked into the world itself to be quite memorable. This kind of story telling which relies on player discovery is one of the unique strengths of video games as a medium. A couple of highlights were learning the history (and sudden end) of a community in the sewers and discovering a family photograph with the words "Forgive Us" written on the back next to the shrouded bodies of two children. Chilling stuff.

Gameplay:

It's truly rare for a game to combine satisfying narrative with great game play, but The Last of Us certainly manages. There's a real danger when you're fighting stupid enemies like the infected that the combat might get stale, but the developers did a remarkable job of avoiding this. The main infected (runners) do behave predictably, but they move fast, and can easily overwhelm you in groups, or if you are unprepared. The clickers are also fantastically grotesque and ingeniously designed, demanding your careful consideration each time you encounter one. I was surprised at how much time you spend fighting non-infected humans, but again this provides more variety, even if they could have coordinated more intelligently.

The crafting system also has a real elegance to it. You spend very little time managing your resources, but the decisions you make regarding your supplies really impact the game play. The difficulty level was also good, though I think I might have enjoyed it more on a higher difficulty than normal. There were some challenging encounters, but with all the different ways you can approach them, things never got frustrating. When one approach didn't work, I would be eager to try another.

I thought it was noteworthy that this game didn't give you a choice regarding the ending. My interpretation was that, despite Joel's early attempts to avoid attachment to Ellie, he does end up seeing her as a second daughter. This, combined with the repressed but still powerful trauma of losing Sarah meant that he simply wasn't able to go through that loss a second time. Even if it meant saving humanity, even if it's what Ellie would have wanted, even if it means lying to her. I thought it was a brilliant conclusion and one of the most memorable endings to any game I've played.

I really tried to make this a review rather than a love letter about this game, but I had trouble finding anything significant to complain about. The music and sound design kind of sucked (just kidding, they are amazing). I guess it was a bit annoying how the game starts giving you hints about where to go next if you spend any amount of extra time looking around. Also I'm not a big fan of when games give you a visible prompt to push a button- it just kind of kills the immersion for me. But again, minor stuff. What a fantastic game.

Undertale (2015 Video Game)

A good RPG with some moments of greatness

[8/10 · 14 April 2016]

Undertale was an interesting experience for me- both familiar and unlike anything I have ever played. The general aesthetic will be nostalgic for anyone who experienced RPGS in the NES/SNES era, and there are even some direct references to these games (most obviously, the reference to FF VI's famous opera house scene). With it's combination of amateur level graphics and great music, I found it quite reminiscent of Earthbound.

But that is where familiarity ends and originality begins. Without going into specifics, Undertale's approach to combat is nothing like what we have come to expect from earlier RPGs, and the game's focus on violence itself as a theme is what truly sets it apart.

Even with its simple graphics, Undertale managed to create moods that were both silly and ominous by turns, which is what I personally found most memorable and impressive about the game. While the game-play itself was only moderately enjoyable, it is certainly worth any old-school RPG fan's time.

Fallout 4 (2015 Video Game)

Great fun despite the flaws

[8/10 · 13 April 2016]

I was somewhat surprised to rate this game as highly as I did. Fallout 4 is a Bethesda game, and any veteran of their franchises will immediately recognize the familiar quirks and flaws which they seem incapable of overcoming. But I just love exploring the worlds they create, so much so that I'm perhaps a little too forgiving of the numerous imperfections. To keep things succinct I made a list of positives and negatives:

+) The world they've created is just as deep and fun to explore as any of their titles. I enjoyed the urban nature of the setting; the downtown area was particularly chaotic- in a good way. My favorite parts of this game often came during the quiet moments between combat, when I learned about the people that inhabited an abandoned office through computer terminals, or when I reached the top of a tall building downtown at sunset and was able to just appreciate a sweeping view of the commonwealth. This, combined with the excellent atmospheric music created some truly memorable moments.

+) Combat is fun if not terribly strategic. Guns feel better than previous fallout games but still not as good as a pure FPS. I liked the slow-motion VATS. Enemies aren't always matched to your level, which makes for some exciting moments when you run into something that can easily kick your ass. They are still pretty stupid though.

+) The main storyline is one of Bethesda's better efforts. I felt much more of a desire to stick to the main quest, at least initially. SPOILERS AHEAD: In the beginning,, your objective is simply to track down your son. There's plenty of mystery as the game introduces you to the world, and I really appreciated how personal and emotional the story felt. I found the infiltration of Kellogg's mind to be unique and memorable. However, things eventually derail into more of a generic sci-fi trope as you are forced to attach yourself to a faction…

-) Factions: on one hand, I appreciated that none of the factions are wholly good or evil. They each have their own aims and are willing to do some extreme things to achieve those aims. HOWEVER, they are perhaps a bit too flawed in my opinion. I ended up siding with the railroad, but only because the institute seemed so obviously evil (at least early in the game), and the brotherhood of steel's code made no sense at all to me. Also, I was playing a sniper-type character and the railroad was the best fit for that play style. In hindsight, I should have probably stuck with the minutemen, which is the one faction that isn't in direct opposition to the others.

-) Dialogue- many of my biggest complaints with this game are tied to the lack of dialogue options. Rather than being able to ask specific questions, you are only allowed to respond in 4 ways during conversation, and it's not always clear what direction your selection will take the conversation in. In many cases, your choice doesn't seem to matter at all.

I really wanted to learn more about the factions, for example, but the dialogue system doesn't give you the opportunity. Even your exchanges with faction leaders are quite limited. I would have loved to ask the institute why they are so obsessed with making increasingly human- like Synths as opposed to the nearly infinite list of other things an organization with their resources could be doing.

The story eventually reaches a point where you have no option but to mass-murder nearly every single member of the two opposing factions. I'm not asking for a happy-ever-after, can't we all be friends type of ending, but it would have been nice to at least be able to make an attempt at diplomacy or compromise.

+) I was impressed with the companions in this game. I liked how you can gradually get to know these characters if they approve of your actions, and the companion quests I completed felt significant in a game with too many lazy side quests. Some characters tended to repeat the same lines too often, and they didn't really seem to differ much in their combat tactics, which would have been a nice addition.

+) I loved the crafting/modding system. Bethesda has been putting interactive junk in their games for a while now, and it was great to see it given purpose. The settlement building feature was fun, but ultimately pointless.

-) Graphics were very uneven. The environments looked decent for the most part but some of the models and animation were pretty bad. Compare this game to modded Skyrim and it looks pretty pathetic.

-) And now for the one thing that really interfered with my enjoyment of this game: technical issues. I experienced frequent drops in frame rate and freezing during load screens.

Still, I put nearly 130 hours into this game on one play-through, and most of that time was very enjoyable. Even with its flaws, this game kept drawing me in.