I finished Mass Effect about a month ago and never bothered to write about it. Correction, I started to write about it, but got fed up with trying to condense the expansive game into a coherent post, and decided I'd get to it when I get to.
So here it is: Mass Effect was pretty okay. Most, if not all, of my gripes are solved in the sequel, which I have only just started playing. The power upgrades are frustrating because some are more apparent than others, and the limitations in terms of specialization are annoying.
Why can't I be OP and be a pure biotic who can wield a sniper rifle, placing shields and tossing enemies from a ways away where I never even whiff danger?
Whatever, the story is engaging, but the game just looks dated. The visuals are not appealing, particularly when compared to ME2. Joker's face doesn't move, Captain Anderson's face looks like he's got that Seal condition. It's just not pretty.
I don't recall from my original playthrough of ME2 how the choices made in this game affect or play out in the rest of the series, and I have yet to play ME3, despite it sitting on my shelf for the better part of the year.
Moving on.
I also picked up and promptly waltzed through Deadpool, which was an entirely different experience.
Deadpool is a nicely polished game, at least visually, at least in all the important places, and has enough Deadpool style humor to forgive the repetitive gameplay and frustrating enemies.
I would have preferred the combat have a deeper combo system, one that seamlessly integrates each weapon or attack type, where for example you launch an enemy into the air with your twin katana, pop him with your handguns to keep him suspended, switch to the dual sledgehammers and spike him down, and finishing with a shotgun blow to the head, or the spike sending him bouncing back up high enough to pin him to a wall with your sai.
There is just not enough integration of the different weapons, and that limits the combos that are available.
Deadpool's unstoppable mouth never reached the point of annoying me, even though he repeats the one-liners throughout the game in the midst of combat. I don't expect developers or writers to put in an infinite amount of lines, so I didn't mind hearing "Nasty slice, shoulda used the five iron" a few times down the stretch.
The cutscenes are beyond description. From Deadpool saying "Roll credits" whenever he defeats a Sinister clone, ignoring Cable and then groping him under the impression he was Deadpool's #1 fan, all of it.
I genuinely laughed through most of the cutscenes, which is sort of the point of a Deapool title.
Enemies are varied, but ultimately boil down to normal and shielded. You're given the opportunity to counter almost every close quarters attack, which can lead to lengthy combos if done right.
Deadpool, from a gameplay approach, is standard beat 'em up fare. The plot, however, is where the appeal lies, and Nolan North's performance as Deadpool, and the voices in his head/speech bubbles, really makes you want to experience everything the game has in terms of cutscenes and environmental fun.
Oddly enough, I had more fun with Deadpool than I did with Mass Effect, and part of me finds that alarming, but another part of me knows they are different experiences.
From there, I started Skyward Sword, which is a part-time endeavor since I do not have a Wii. So far, my feelings are mixed, but I've only just reached the first temple or dungeon.
I've also started Catherine, not knowing at all what to expect. I didn't expect the mix of puzzle and interaction that I've been treated to, but I've enjoyed it thus far.
I'm curious as to how the story will progress, and I wonder if my real-world nice guy attitude will affect my ability to be a player in the game.
This is the first time I've written anything for August, and I've really only given the bare bones of what I had in mind for the two games I finished and the games I have started. But f*ck it. You're not reading anyway, are you?
No comments:
Post a Comment