My Incessant Need to Write Down My Opinions… 2013!

Choosing my favorite games of 2013 was no easy task.  After many years with this hardware, developers have refined their craft, making some of the most memorable games of this, or any generation.  I wasn’t able to play every game I would have liked, Papers Please, Rogue Legacy and Dragon’s Crown to name a few, and one of the games I spent the most time playing, Persona 4: Golden, would have easily made my list but, unfortunately, was a released in 2012.  None of this diminishes the great gaming 2013 had to offer, so here we go; My Incessant Need to Write Down My Opinions… 2013!

10. Firefly: The Game – (Strategy / Boardgame / Gale Force Nine)

Time for some thrilling heroics!  In Firefly: The game, you play the captain of a Firefly, hiring crew, taking jobs, holding up banks, running from Reavers and dodging Alliance patrols.  The mechanics can be simplistic and the length is a might long, but the implementation of the theme is the big draw in this game.  If you are a fan of the show, like me, this is a must play.  No power in the ‘verse can stop me.

9. Tearaway – (Platformer / PS Vita / Media Molecule)

From the makers of Little Big Planet, this Vita title is exploding with charm.  The front-facing camera brings you into the game as the protagonist struggles to deliver you a personal message.  The hand-crafted feel of the Tearaway really builds on great platforming and puzzle mechanics.  Every part of the Vita is used, and all of it makes sense.  It is really a love letter to gamers and a delightful time to be had.

8. Tomb Raider – (Action / PS3, X360, PC, OSX, PS4, XB1 / Crystal Dynamics)

One of the first games I owned on the PSone was the original Tomb Raider.  The game was difficult but rewarding, and I went on to play most of the sequels.  When Crystal Dynamics announced they were doing a reboot of the series, I was skeptical.  I’m happy to say they did an amazing job bring Lara Croft into the 21^st century.  This thrilling tale has her battered and beaten, fighting for survival, but Lara always finds a way.  The puzzles and combat are well implemented, the platforming is solid and the collectables are addictive.  Tomb Raider has the formula for everything a great game should be, and delivers on that promise.

7. Guacamelee! – (Platformer / PS3, PS Vita, PC, PS4, XB1 / Drinkbox Studios)

Do you like Metroid?  Do you like Castlevania?  Do you like Luchadors?  You will find these and some of the most intense and challenging platforming I have ever encountered in Guacamelee!  The abilities, style and gameplay kept me coming back again and again.  I loved it so much, I replayed the whole thing on Hard difficulty.  Guacamelee! is funny, rewarding and a blast to play.

6. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons – (Adventure / PS3, X360, PC / Starbreeze Studios)

I have never played a game that married its mechanics and story so perfectly.  Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a puzzle platformer, wrapped in an emotionally engaging and beautiful story.  This will be the next free game for PS Plus subscribers so don’t miss out.  The run time is about four hours and is well worth your time.  One of the most satisfying and surprising games I have ever played. 

5. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch – (RPG / PS3 / Level-5, Studio Ghibli)

This year I rediscovered my love of JRPGs thanks to Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.  Studio Ghibli, the animation studio responsible for Miyazaki films like, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, lend their considerable talents to this gorgeous and heart-warming tale.  If you are a fan of Miyazaki, you know that you are in for a strange tale with lively characters and eye-popping sights.  The gameplay is engaging and thoughtful, making Ni No Kuni not only a great RPG, but a great experience in entertainment.

4. Gone Home – (Adventure / PC, OSX, Linux / The Fullbright Company)

I read a lot of “hardcore gamers” calling this overblown indie shit, that it isn’t even a game, and shouldn't be in the discussion for best games of 2013.  Why do we need to define what a game is so stringently?  The Fullbright Company, based in Portland, has created an interactive story set-piece that they are calling a game, and this is fine.  I had such a fantastic time uncovering the mystery of this house, the protagonist family and their fates.  It was often creepy, unsettling, but sorrowful, hopeful and honest.  Gone Home is the perfect example of what games can be and it doesn’t need our definition to contain it.  It’s an allegory for the story really.

3. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – (Action / PS3, X360, Wii U, PS4, XB1, PC / Ubisoft Montreal)

YAAAARRRR!!  There’s some narrative dissonance for ya!  AC4:BF is so fun, I’m calling it the best in the series.  I said it.  There we go.  And I don’t even like pirates.

2. The Last of Us – (Action / PS3 / Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us tells such a fervent and authentic story, it is a difficult game to bear; with scenes that will stay with me forever.  The world is so perfectly realized and the story so engaging, it is easy to see why it has won so many game-of-the-year awards.  I know replaying it won’t be the same and I don’t know if I can put myself through it again, but I’m so glad I got to experience it.  This is possibly the best looking, sounding and performed game of this generation and is the perfect swan-song for the PS3.

1. Bioshock: Infinite – (FPS / PS3, X360, PC, OSX / Irrational Games)

This was really tough call for me.  The Last of Us is superior in many ways, but I just dreaded playing it at times.  I never felt this way with Bioshock: Infinite.  Immediately after finishing this crazy sci-fi adventure, I restarted a new game on Hard and powered though.  While nothing can live up to the feeling of seeing Rapture for the first time in the original Bioshock, Infinite’s Columbia does a damn fine job with spectacle.  The characters are compelling and well-acted, the writing is tight and snappy and I found the gameplay to be delightful.  The story sometimes loses focus and the boss battles can be frustrating, but I really had a terrific time playing this game.  Great to look at?  Fun to play?  Awesome story?  Game of the Year.

2013 was the last hurrah for our consoles, and the dawn of a new generation.  Handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS and Play Station Vita saw significant growth, and the quality of gaming as a whole took a big step.  2014 may be a slow year, as developers figure out the new hardware, but 2013, it has to be said, was one of the best years gaming has ever seen.

What were your favorites of 2013?

My Top 10 Games of 2012

A couple of notes for the reader:

 -  When writing these reviews, I didn’t want to explain what the game is, you can find this information easily, but rather my personal experience with it.  This may make for an unconventional narrative.  Beware!

- I must apologize for my gratuitous use of the semi colon.  A while back I finally decided to learn its use.  I mean it has its own non-shifted key on the keyboard; it MUST be important, right?  As it turns out, it has a lot of uses, so I use it frequently! ;)

-  Yes, I wrote “whole nother” in the opening paragraph.  My Mom would be so disappointed.

- An asterisk denotes an obscure reference you’re probably not going to get and shouldn’t worry about trying to figure out; it’s not worth it.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get on with it!

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2012 was a unique year in gaming.  I thought it was “an unique” but MSWord says otherwise.  It was the first year independent and downloadable games were considered to be as-good-as or even better than their big-budget counterparts.  I had my first experience with designer board games which opened up a whole nother world of fun and real-life interaction.  Kickstarter is a thing.  When I think back through all of the games I played this year I realize I spend far too much time thinking about games.  Maybe I should spend more time improving myself, learning new things, making a difference in lives of others.  Hahaha just kidding!  Can you imagine if I were like that?  Aaaanyway, here were my favorites of 2012:

10.  Lords of Waterdeep – (Worker Placement / Table Top / Wizards of the Coast)

I was more than a little apprehensive about this new (to me) world of designer board games.  In my estimation, they had always been Monopoly, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit and Yahtzee, something light and fun you do with the family.  Lords of Waterdeep changed that image for me.  It is a game of political intrigue, worker strategy and little wooden cubes.  As a Lord of Waterdeep, you place your agents in key areas of the city, recruiting fighters, wizards, clerics and rogues to conquer quests that expand your influence throughout kingdom.  The theme isn’t all too important; it could be about the mafia, modern-day politics, or kittens vs. ninjas, what really makes this game shine is the game play itself.  Lords of Waterdeep showed me that a board game can be so much more than rolling a dice and moving spaces, and for that, it is my number 10 of 2012.

9. FTL: Faster than Light - (Roguelike, RPG / PC / Subset Games)

FTL is one of many indie gems this year.  You are the captain of space freighter, jumping through the galaxy carrying vital information to the rebellion.  No it’s not the Custodian and you’re not Captain Antilles*, but you do command a crew of humans, aliens and robots fighting your way to a rebel base.   The mission is always the same, but because it’s a roguelike, a randomly generated game-space, the world is entirely different every time.  FTL is more of a flash game than a flashy game, but the theme and execution are stellar, perhaps inter-stellar?  Two puns in one sentence, pretty good right?  Although I have never beaten it, it is quite difficult; FTL is a game that is fun to play again and again… while watching Star Wars... and reading Twitter.

8. Assassin’s Creed III – (Action / PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii-U / Ubisoft)

Despite its lack-luster opening, clunky fighting mechanics, and numerous glitches, Assassin’s Creed III is a worthy addition to the series.  From that sentence alone, don’t you just want to run out and buy it?  It’s hard to recommend if you’re new to Assassin’s Creed, but it’s not-to-be-missed by fans.  After a laborious initial six hours, the world of 18^th century America finally opens up to explore.  Running down cobblestone streets, hanging from steeples and jumping through tree tops are some of the highlights, but I found the sea battles to be one of the most enjoyable new aspects.  If there is one thing Assassin’s Creed delivers it is a sense of real place.  The world around you is bristling with liveliness and authenticity, and it is quite a thrill to be a part of.  If you love history, and you’re a fan of this series, you are a person who loves history and the Assassin’s Creed series.  Be aware of this games existence!  It’s still better than Diablo III, oh snap!

7. Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – (Dungeon RPG / Table Top / Fantasy Flight)

I hadn't played an old-school dungeon crawler since I was a kid and boy howdy have they improved this shit!  Descent is just what you think: a group of adventurers trying to save stuff from bad dudes.  Sounds awesome right?  Well it is.  The game feels more like a finely-crafted RPG than a board game, and well, I guess it is just that.  From the story, to the fighting, the leveling to the loot, everything in Descent is delightful.  Even the antagonist, called the “Overlord”, gets to join in on the fun and levels up as the game progresses.  Maybe it’s because Descent reminds me of my deep-seeded nerd roots, something primal and magical for me, that it is one of my favorite games of the year.  My only gripe is that it is difficult to get the same group of people together to play it consistently.  I need it like a nerd needs Star Trek and Hot Pockets!

6. Fez – (Puzzle Platformer / XBLA / Polytron)

Fez is a love letter to gamers.  This year I read a wonderful book by Ernest Cline called Ready Player One.  It seemed a story ripped from my childhood, full of references I thought only I would know; movies, games, books that I thought only I had experienced; special moments that were tailored just for me.  Fez gives me this same feeling.  There is so much gaming nostalgia crammed into this 8-bit package.  The platforming feels perfect as Gomez, a two-dimensional being in a three-dimensional world, traverses mind-bending puzzles, challenging acrobatics and amateur astronomy.  I had to learn to read a new language to discover everything in this game, and when I did, it felt so natural and wonderful, like I was uncovering a hidden cave by burning a bush with a candle*.  If you want to know more about Fez, they made a whole movie about it called Indie Game: the Movie, which is great, by the way.  Fez is a game for gamers who love gaming games… game.

5. Mass Effect 3 – (Action RPG / PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii-U / Bioware)

Mass Effect tried to elevate gaming to a new echelon.  It was a watershed moment, a singularity and a reference.  It is probably my favorite sci-fi universe, and I have a lot of experience with sci-fi universes.  Man I’m a nerd, sometimes I wonder how my wife can stand it… but I digress. 

Mass Effect reached for an unachievable future.  It fell short, but it tried so hard and we wanted it to succeed.  When it failed to meet its promises, the fans revolted, turned on their friend, vowed to never buy another Bioware game.  As I was coming to the close of this game, the buzz around it was vitriolic, spiteful, full of remorse and betrayal.  I said to myself, “How can this be?  What I have played so far has been incredible.  I laughed and cried, agonized over decisions, romanced, made friends, lived and died.  How could this be bad?”   That’s when the indoctrination* crept over me.  I started to doubt that I was playing was any good.  The loud voices of dissenters were ruining this.  I hurried forward, trying to ignore their spurns, pushed through an ending full of intrigue and wait… who is this kid?  Um… so I’m supposed to choose… so nothing I did mattered at all?  Is this what everyone is so upset about?  What did they think would happen?  That everything you did mattered; that everyone you saved mattered; that every decision you agonized over mattered? 

THAT is what Bioware promised, and they fell short.  We expected too much and so did they.  But they fucking tried didn’t they?  They tried.  You know what; sometimes it is the journey and not the destination.  When I look back at the Mass Effect trilogy, I am so happy I got to have that experience, and nothing, not a disappointing ending nor a loud commenter will take that away from me.

4. Journey – (Puzzle Platformer / PSN / Thatgamecompany)

Journey is beautiful, simple, and lovely; a true piece of art.  It is only two-hours.  You will meet a stranger and journey with them.  You will come to rely on them, to miss them when they are gone.  You will not talk to them, but will communicate with them.  You will fly with them, joy with them and fear with them.  You will go through this journey together and you will both be better for it.  Journey is about striving for something, struggling toward a goal, depending on someone you have only just met.  It is unlike anything I have ever witnessed.  It is only two-hours.  I don’t think I will experience it again.

3. Dishonored – (First-Person Stealth / PC, PS3, Xbox 360 / Bethesda)

THIS is what I wanted Deus Ex to be!  Well Deus Ex in a BioShock world* I guess.  Doesn’t that sound great… if you get those two references?  Dishonored is pure fun, first-person stealth action done right.   It’s a new world, a new intellectual property and a new series to get excited about.  I completed Dishonored without killing a single person and it was an absolute blast.  Leaping from buildings, peering through walls, swooping on guards, helping old ladies, peeping in keyholes, tripping on drugs, slowing time, bludgeoning foes, rescuing princesses , solving puzzles, hiding, jumping, dashing, stabbing, soaring, whew!

2. Eclipse: Rise of the Ancients – (4x / Table Top / Lautapelit.fi)

Eclipse is epic fleet battles, wonderful space exploration, fascinating interstellar-economy management and political subterfuge, but for me, it is something more.  After my first play though, I could not wait to buy it for myself; I can’t remember the last time I was so excited to get my hands on a game of any kind.  Eclipse showed me that board gaming could be much more than the game itself.  So much of the fun I had was spent making plexi-glass cases for the components, printing a compact technology board at Kinkos, and organizing the many game pieces into special containers.  Sounds lame right?  Something about the minutiae, the augmentation, the personalization made it truly special for me.   Eclipse became more than a board game; it became a possession I truly treasure.  Why don’t you come try it with me sometime?

1. The Walking Dead – (Adventure / iOS, OSX, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 / Telltale)

I have always disliked adventure games.  Monkey Island frustrated me.  King’s Quest annoyed me.  Day of the Tentacle bothered me.  Why should I have to combine a hairbrush with a fish to open a door?  There was no logic to it.  Sometime in the 90’s I wrote this genre off.

Last year I started reading comics.  Watchmen was my first foray, followed by The Walking Dead.  Have you read The Walking Dead?  Don’t even talk to me about the TV series; it doesn't hold a candle to the comic.  Robert Kirkman’s work is so full of anguish and heartache, the human condition and humanity.  Zombies are just the setting.

This is why I was willing to give Telltale’s adventure game a shot.  Well that and the demo was pretty good.

Remember how Mass Effect was supposed to let you make real decisions that affected real outcomes?  Well The Walking Dead DID IT.  There is no binary “this answer is good” and “this answer is bad” so I must always choose the “good” answer if I want to max out my “goodness” scale.  Every decision is grey.  Every decision carries weight.  Every decision matters.  Some choices may only change the narrative slightly, but you feel a real impact on the story and no decision comes easily.  A life may be in the balance, a relationship, a limb; the stakes are always high.  The Walking Dead is one of the first games I felt a real narrative flow; that a game could be on par with a movie, TV series or book in story, excitement and emotion.  The tale Telltale told was mine, and it was better than the comic could ever be.  This is the best of The Walking Dead.

As the final credits rolled, I sat and stared at the names, full of doubt and remorse.  Had I done everything I could?  Did I keep my humanity?  Was it enough to only survive in this world?  What would the end of the world be like?  Would only the powerful and strong survive?  Is there any place for love and kindness?  Must we do whatever it takes to live?  I don’t know, but I think I did the best I could.

You can read about this game anywhere, learn about the gameplay, the art style, voice acting, etc.  I wanted you to know how I felt after this game.  It is something I will take with me always.

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With that I conclude my list of favorite games of 2012.  Some honorable mentions were Diablo III, Torchlight 2, Hero Academy, and Mark of the Ninja; all great games!  This next year promises to be one of, if not THE most exciting year in games history!  BioShock Infinite, Tomb Raider, The Last of Us, Beyond Two Souls, Sim City and NEW CONSOLES!   These could very well be the last consoles produced, as gaming moves into our TVs and up in the cloud.  The Oculus Rift, the first consumer-grade one-to-one virtual reality headset, will be available to the public, and Kickstarter is ushering in a new age of independent games of both digital and analogue varieties.  Gamers have a lot to be excited about.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts; I had a great time conveying them.   What were your favorites of the year?  What are you most looking forward to next year?  If you ever want to play a game, come and find me!

Reverie Vomit's eleven of '11

Hello Everyone! I’m back with my favorite games of 2011. Of course I didn’t get to play everything I would have liked (Zelda: Skyward Sword comes to mind), but I think I got a good cross-section of 2011’s highlights. I had a lot of really fun experiences this year; I think developers are really starting to find how to best express the joy in games, while removing some of the frustration and tedium we gamers have become accustomed to. 2012 looks to be another banner year in gaming: Diablo 3, Mass Effect 3, and Bioshock: Infinite, to name a few, but for now, let us take a journey way back to the good ol’ year of twenty-‘leven. As Deckard Cain would say, “Stay awhile, and listen”.

11. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Action, Adventure / PC, PS3, Xbox 360 / Ubisoft)

The third installment of the second installment of this series (…wait, what?) improves, in many ways on its predecessor, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, but mostly fails to fully measure up. If you’ve loved the series, like I have, many plot lines tie up as others unfold; it is a must play for those who want to learn the fate of Altair and Ezio, while slowly developing Desmond. The story is full of well-realized and interesting characters, fun and exciting plot devices and wonderful locales, but where AC really shines is in its gameplay. Not much has changed from its previous iterations, which is a welcome return to the fluid, mostly intuitive and occasionally frustrating environment traversal AC fans have come to love. In my opinion, the most glaring error in this installment was the addition of a tower defense game, thrown in as a punishment for losing previously captured sections of the city. Was this the best Assassin’s Creed, no, but it was a mostly fun and well-crafted gaming experience.

10. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Action, Adventure / Mac, PC, PS3, Xbox 360/ Ubisoft)

I think what I love most about Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the aesthetic. You’re placed in a future world where gold neon and augmented humans rule. You are forced to choose a side in the war between those who choose to augment their bodies with cybernetics, and those who think the act is an abomination. Full of fun, stealthy combat and story-affecting choices, the only real problem with Deus Ex are the boss battles. Farming out any of your gameplay to another company rarely works, and here, you are punished for playing the game in the way Ubisoft intended, a mix of stealth and evasive combat, by having to trudge through these fight-or-die bosses. Besides a disappointing PowerPoint ending, Deus Ex has a real “human” story to tell. It looks beautiful, and is worth any gamer’s time.

9. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Action, Adventure / PS3 / Naughty Dog)

I don’t know how Naughty Dog can crank out the best Indiana Jones movies year after year, but they do. The set pieces and over-the-top action really shine in this heart-pounding and always entertaining action shooter. We finally get some real character development between Drake, Elena and Sully, that pulls at your heart while it satisfies your trigger finger. Unfortunately, the shooting mechanics were a pain to master, and I found myself having to play through sections many times before making any progress. It is punishing, but you are rewarded with intense and beautiful locales, fun platforming sequences, and great adventure. Indie would be proud.

8. Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery (Adventure / iOS / Superbrothers and Capybara Games)

You know what I love about indie (as in “independent”, not “Indiana Jones”) games? They are allowed to take chances. Sword and Sworcery did just that. With its 8-bit look and gripping synthy music, S&S is more like playing a finely crafted piece of art than a game. Did I mention the music is awesome? The story is pretty basic, acquire the item, kill the beast, save the peoples, but it is told in such a fun and funny way, it feels completely fresh and engaging. It is sometimes dark, sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad, and sometimes magical. If you are a fan of Braid, Bastion, Limbo, and daring indie titles like these, this game is a must play. Did I mention the music is amazing?

7. Saints Row the Third (Action, Adventure / PC, PS3, Xbox 360 / Volition)

Saints Row the Third is disgusting, sexist, childish, ridiculous, asinine, and one of the most fun games I have ever played. Where to begin… I had to drive 80mph with an angry tiger in the passenger seat without hitting anything so he didn’t scratch me to death. I had to save a pimp from an S&M club using him as a horse in a gimp-style chariot race. I had to kill bunny mascots while avoiding death traps on a reality show called Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax. I had to throw myself into oncoming traffic repeatedly to rack up insurance fraud cash. I drove a car that sucks up pedestrians into a giant cannon and used them as ammo. One of the characters speaks every line with auto tune. And spoiler: BURT EFFING REYNOLDS! This game is so shocking and hilarious; you have to see it to believe it. Volition’s philosophy: Is it fun? Keep it in. Is it tedious? Take it out. Why don’t more developers think this way?

6. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (RPG / PC, Xbox 360 / CD Projekt RED)

You know how most RPGs give you “important” choices to make, later to find out they had little to no impact on the story (Dragon Age 2 ring a bell)? Well the Witcher 2 does not have that problem. I never played the first Witcher, but was easily able to get into the world. The story of the Witcher is rife with interesting lore, grey morality, and tough decisions that completely change the game. For instance, early on you are asked to side with one faction or another. Depending on this choice, you will have a completely different story, characters and locales. This is for 10 hours of content; it’s basically two completely separate games in one. The gameplay is challenging and doesn’t hold your hand in the early levels. You are forced to play defensively and learn to use all of your abilities even against lesser enemies. The look of the world is breathtaking and really shows off the graphical divide that is happening between PCs and current consoles at the end of their cycle. I’m very glad I got to play this game and would highly recommend it to gamers who love RPGs with real consequences.

5. Star Wars: The Old Republic (MMORPG / PC / Bioware)

Bioware really knows how to tell a story. I’ve played over 100 hours of this game and feel like I have barely seen any of it. Taking place a thousand years before the movies, you are asked to side with the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire. Within these factions you are constantly making choices for good or ill that affect your character and the quests of which they are involved. The main story for each class is unique and wonderfully told, with twists, betrayals and shocking moments a plenty. The gameplay is your usual MMO fair, yet the animations add weight and a visceral impact to the combat. You have many ways to play with others, from groups of 16 working together to kill a world boss, down to the great solo play with your computer-controlled companion. SWTOR is more than an MMO, it’s a great game, and I am

looking forward to hundreds more hours experiencing it.

4. Bastion (Action / PC, Xbox 360 / Supergiant Games)

Bastion is something special. It is 15-bucks on Steam, stop reading this and get it right now… Go ahead I’ll wait... Back? Okay. The story is told quite literally by a lone drifter with a gravelly voice that narrates your every action. This sounds annoying, but it is wonderfully executed. You are a kid from a broken world, trying to build your home back to its former glory. The story is told through its music as much as its narration, introducing tragic and hopeful characters along the way, and an ending that will always stay with me. The music is such a magical blend of dusty guitars, melancholy vocals, break beats and eastern-influence, it oozes style. The gameplay is basic, yet very satisfying, giving you a myriad of ways to slay your foes, and many challenges along the way. Bastion is one of those special experiences I put up there with Limbo, Portal, and Sword and Sworcery. This is a game gamers will refer to for many years to come, don’t pass this one up.

3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (RPG / PC, PS3, Xbox 360 / Bethesda Studios)

Skyrim should have been my game of the year, but I played it on the PS3. Despite its game-breaking bugs, Skyrim is one of the greatest games ever made, period. Boasting over 300 hours of content, the world of Skyrim feels so alive and real, you forget you are not actually a Norse man hunting dragons. The systems in place to run this game are mind-boggling. Every NPC has a job, eats when it’s hungry, sleeps in its home, interacts with others, and generally acts like a real person would in most situations. This makes a game that is wonderfully dynamic and always changing. I’ve never had so much fun just walking around and discovering things. In my near 70-hours played I have barely touched the main story line; there is just so much to see and experience in Skyrim. It’s much more than a game, it’s a world.

2. Portal 2 (Action, Adventure, Puzzle / PC, PS3, Xbox 360 / Valve)

Not many games are truly funny. Not many games make you feel smart. Not many games are this fun. Portal 2 is the complete package. Spot-on gameplay? Check. Dazzling story with even better characters? Check. A world that is unique and compelling? Triple check. Everything from the pacing, the humor, the mechanics, the voice acting, the music, you name it, has such a polish, Wheatley could see the gleam from space. Portal 2 takes place in a long-abandoned scientific testing facility controlled by a ruthless AI named GLaDOS. You must escape using your wits and diverse and challenging game mechanics. You never feel so smart as when you figure out the solution to a room that has been irking you for hours. I don’t know how Valve does it, but Portal 2 is such a wonderfully fun and funny experience, it is an absolute joy to play.

1. Batman: Arkham City (Action, Adventure / PC, PS3, Xbox 360 / Rocksteady Studios)

Let me preface this by saying I am a Batman fan… ok maybe that is too tame… I am a Batman super fan; he is my favorite superhero, hands down. In 1989, Tim Burton first showed me his take on the Caped Crusader, and 20 years later, Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum took me to a whole new level of affection for the character. Since then I have been scouring the streets of Gotham, reading “The Killing Joke”, “Hush”, “The Dark Knight Returns”, “Year One”, and the current series of comics. “The Dark Knight” is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. Why am I telling you this? I want to make my bias clear up front. It is one factor into why Batman: Arkham City was my 2011 game of the year, but it is by no means the most important. Here it what is: this is the most fun game I have ever played. The controls are perfect, tight, intuitive, responsive, and the actions feel like they are supposed to. The combat is sublime, and always make you feel like a larger-than-life superhero. The streets are teeming with villains, and the story is one of the very best Batman stories ever told. If I had a complaint it would be that sometimes I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions at once, with TOO MUCH to do, but what a great complaint to have. Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy give Oscar worthy performances as the Joker and Batman; Hamill won this year’s Spike VGA for best voice actor. This is a game I rushed through because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, but at the same time, always wanted to linger to discover all of Arkham City’s secrets. Rocksteady shows a real care to detail and polish that so many games don’t have these days. I am excited to play this again and again, and can’t wait to see what Rocksteady has in store for us next.

Well, that does it for my 11 of 11. What were some of your favorite games? Did I miss anything you think should be on the list? Did you agree or disagree with any of my selections? With excellent games like these and what we have in store for 2012, damn it feels good to be a gamer!

Hey, I Made Something!

A few months back my computer monitor died. Searching around the internet told me that my problem may be a blown capacitor and it was a $2 part. So I called around. The cheapest repair I could find was over $100. I thought, "How hard can it be to replace a capacitor?"

I had a soldering gun left over from recording school; I had only used it for repairing microphone cables. Armed with some technical advice from my friend Nick, I cracked the monitor open, found the blown capacitor,

replaced it and...

It worked!

I spent two hours labor and $5 in parts. In yo FACE Best Buy!

I was energized. Hungry for more, I found some podcasts focusing on making and modding electronics. My next project was a simple USB phone charger made from a hand-crank flashlight.

That was fun, what else can I do? I always wanted one of those iPod chargers with the built-in sound system, maybe I can make one of those!

First I needed some parts. Goodwill was pretty lackluster, but I picked up a clock radio that seemed to work fine. I messed around, touching the leads on the amplifier chip until I found an input that would work, and soldered an RCA cable in place. Technically it made sound, but the speaker was so small, it was an affront to the ears.

Searching through my garage turned up my 16th birthday present: an old Sony CD player boom box back from the days when CD players were a rarity; I treasured it. This would make the perfect guts.

Pulling apart the boom box was difficult, but eventually I got the main board separated from all of the components. The original power supply for this thing was HUGE, there had to be a better way. I bought a multimeter and figured out the voltages I would need to power the system. If you're like me, you keep a stockpile of old power supplies from electronics long since forgotten. I found one with the correct voltage (12v DC) and hardwired it to the board.

A few minor sparks and smoke, but it powered up.

Along the way I ran into some hiccups: the clock power was AC instead of DC, the 30-pin connector for the iPhone is WAY too complicated for me to tackle, and moving the headphone jack and volume knobs to where I would need them took some experimenting. Oh and the volume knob. Hours of searching and asking around. No one carries 2-inch metal volume knobs! You know, the 70's-stereo receiver type? I finally found one that was close, but never really got what I wanted.

3-weeks of evenings passed and I had the working guts to an iPhone dock, with pretty decent mono sound and a digital clock. I think anyone who knew what they were doing could have made the whole thing in about an hour, but hey, it's the journey right?

Next was the case. I was a finish carpenter for 10 years so I figured this part would be cake.

Enter Murphy...

The box itself was pretty easy, it was the face that was the terror. My first two attempts ended up as scraps. I was down to my last piece of wood when finally, everything fell into place. The box took me about a week to finish thanks to the mistakes, but I ended up with something I'm pretty happy with.

The design is a little non traditional. We don't have a TV in our bedroom, but sometimes it's nice to stream something on the iPhone, like Netflix, and watch in bed. So I decided to make the dock in a landscape format. Additionally, I wanted to keep the whole thing very clean and simple. There is a headphone jack on the side for quiet listening, and to set the clock, you have to press the pots on the actual board, but hey, it works!

Let me know what you think! I may stain it, make it a darker color, haven't decided yet, right now it's still raw wood. It cost me about $20 in parts to make and I'm taking orders if you'd like to buy one. If you factor in the man hours, I think I could sell ya one for...

$1520.00 sound fair? At least I had a great time making it.

Thanks to Nick, Ali, my cousin Ryan, and my Dad for all your help and advice.

Minecraft.

www.minecraft.net

This game was made by one guy.

It costs around fourteen bucks.

It has 8-bit graphics.

There is no story.

There are no quests.

There are no bosses.

There are no spells.

There are no skill points.

There is almost no music.

And I can't stop playing it.

Let me try to explain. Minecraft dumps you on the shore of a randomly-generated 8-bit 3D world made entirely of cubes. There are trees made of cubes, mountains made of cubes, sand, water, lava, grass, snow, and precious metals like iron, gold and diamond.

"It is morning, I can tell by the giant square sun low in the sky. I have nothing, no weapons, armor or tools, not even a tutorial. What am I supposed to do?

"Hmm, I know I would feel a lot better if I had a weapon. How do these games usually start? I seem to be able to dig up blocks of sand and dirt with my bare hands and keep them, lets try it on that tree.

"Ahh now that I have some wood, what do I do? There's a crafting pane! Putting the wood in makes wood planks! Making a pole shape with the planks makes a pole, or a handle. Putting the planks in a square shape makes a work bench! Hmm what if I use the pole as a handle and put the wood planks in a sword shape


"Bang! Wooden sword! What else can I make? It would be nice to get some better materials, wood is pretty weak. What about a pick axe shape?

"Pow! Pick axe! Now I can get some stone. Let's make a stone sword, how 'bout some stone armor! Stone pick axe seems to work much faster and last longer, I think I'm getting the hang of this.

"Ok it's starting to get dark, how am I going to see in this dark? I got some coal while picking the stone, ah I can make torches, good deal. What are those noises?"

Gurgling...

Moaning...

Whispering...

Footsteps...

"Oww an arrow wtf? A skeleton! AHH he is killing my ass! SWORD QUICK AHHH! Ok I'm dead... ugh I dropped all of my stuff and I'm back where I started, and it's still night!

Day 2

"Ok, after a night of repeatedly dying at the hands of zombies and skeletons I've learned a valuable lesson: if I'm going to survive, I need to get a shelter built pronto. I light my new house with torches, make a door, some glass windows using the stove I built and some sand and now I'm pretty well protected. Whew!

"During the day I find a cave. Let's follow this down, I'm going to need a lot of torches. It gets dark fast, I can hear monsters in the dark. Delving deep into the earth I come across precious metals, endless passageways, lava, and even a dungeon full of enemies and treasure! This world is huge! It's scary and full of discovery! I feel like a kid again! Like I'm in my fort keeping the monsters at bay!

"My shelter becomes a house. My house becomes a becomes a castle. I build an elaborate mine cart system. I have switches that control far away devices, huge traps that kill the monsters for me and collect their loot. I grow crops, decorate my citadel with bookshelves and colorful paintings, and craft diamond weapons to slay my enemies. I even build a magical gateway that takes me to a terrifying nexus world!



"How long have I been playing this?

There is no story.

There are no quests.

I am alone.

This is incredible."

Reverie Vomit's ten of '10

I wanted to take a crack at the whole "top ten" list thing, so here are my top 10 games of 2010. I actually played more games from 2009 than 2010 this year, some of which would place higher than many of the current year's titles, but hey, you have to draw the line somewhere.

Disclamer: I neither had the time, nor the budget to play everything. For instance, I have yet to play "COD: Black Ops", or "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood", or any Xbox exclusives for that matter (looking at you "Limbo"), so please take my list with a grain of salt. That being said I would love to hear any recommendations you have for your favorite games of the year!

Next to the title for each game are the game-style, platform, and developer, respectively.

Here we go!

10. Bit. Trip Beat (Rhythm / iPhone / Gajin Games)

"Bit. Trip Beat" is "Pong" meets Paul Oakenfold in this retro-trippy, rhythm game. More than a little difficult, I spent hours being punished only to return for more. The music is fun, thumping, 8-bit fair that sets the old-meets-new tone for the game. The stylistic graphics, matching that of the games music, make this a challenging and fun title I must recommend to gamers looking to reminisce about their early days of gaming.

9. Rimelands: Hammer of Thor (RPG / iPhone / Diceworks Games)

"Rimelands" is a marriage of modern dungeon-crawler gameplay and classic D&D elements. Much like the previous years "Dungeon Hunter" (Gameloft), in most ways "Rimelands" is a "Diablo" (Blizzard) clone; this is a good thing. The combat system, however, is decidedly unique. A set number of dice is rolled to determine hits, misses and defense. I found the system quite enjoyable and the variety of spells and tactics to be fun and challenging. Now, if only it had an ending...

8. Game Dev Story (Time Management / iPhone / Karisoft)

Ever want to run a game company? Me neither! "Game Dev Story" makes it seem super fun. And wow is it easy to make millions of dollars in this industry...apparently. This game has the most rewards-per-minute I've ever experienced. Couple that with the pitch-perfect pacing and you just don't want to put it down. You start as the director of a small game company, choose what type of game you want to make, higher the personnel necessary to make the game, make sure everything is on budget and finally release the game to public scrutiny. Sounds fantastic doesn't it? Trust me, you have to play it to get it. Definitely one of the most smile-inducing games I played this year.

7. God of War 3 (Action, Adventure / PS3 / Sony Computer Entertainment, Santa Monica Studio)

"GOD OF WAR"!!! This game is HUGE! It's MEAN!! It's TESTOSTERONE INCARNATE!!! BOOBIES!!!! Santa Monica has really gone all out with this title. The game play is highly satisfying, the pacing is spot on and the game design is wonderful. It is truly a sight to behold. The boss battles, the enormous set pieces, this is a Hollywood blockbuster on steroids. I found the ending to be somewhat implausible from a character standpoint, but the ride was absolutely thrilling.

6. Plants vs. Zombies (Tower Defense / iPhone / Popcap)

I know, this game is actually came out in 2009, but I'm not reviewing that version (which I did purchase for the PC back then). This is a review of the 2010 iPhone version! "Plants vs. Zombies" really shines with touch controls. This one of only a couple of games my wife will play over and over. The graphics and game play are super fun as you try to defend your home from a horde of ravenous zombies! This has something for all types of gamers.

5. Star Craft 2 (RTS / PC / Blizzard Entertainment)

Let's just admit it, "Star Craft" is the king of real-time strategy, and Blizzard is possibly the king of game developers, they're definitely the most profitable. The production value of this title is through the roof. Everything from the voice acting to the multi player maps are polished to a fine sheen. I found the campaign to be well paced, fun, and beautiful to behold. Its obvious merits withstanding, I would have preferred that the cut scenes were pre rendered, rather than using the in-game engine with my getting-quite-old graphics card. Also, the learning curve, especially in the multi player ladder system, is quite steep. It seems unbalanced when you can defeat multiple NPC opponents on high difficulties, but don't stand a chance against the lowest of human counterparts. I had a lot of fun and equal frustration with this game, mostly due to my own ineptitude.

4. Heavy Rain (Interactive Fiction / PS3 / Quantic Dream)

Man this game is heart-racing! "Heavy Rain" broke so many barriers, it was an experience that changed what I thought games could do. You decide how the story plays out. There is no "game over" screen. If a character dies because of your choices, that character will not return in the rest of the story. This also creates a myriad of different endings and plot twists that make re playability high. I have yet to revisit "Heavy Rain" because the experience was freaking intense! I guess I'm still deciding if I want to put myself through this game again, haha.

3. Mass Effect 2 (RPG / PC, Xbox 360,(PS3 soon) / Bioware)

Bioware is currently my favorite developer. Their stories are so well told, and finally in "Mass Effect 2", unlike the previous installment in the series, the game play has been brought up to match. The choices you make, the incredible graphics, the thrilling design, this game is phenomenal. You learn to love your team, making the final battle exciting on a level rarely achieved in any medium. I played through this game twice back-to-back in order to experience the extremes of the story telling. As a paragon, I was able to save the lives of all of my crew, but as a renegade, I lost one. While my first play through had a somewhat underwhelming ending, I must say losing the crew member really gave a deep emotional impact to the overall story. This marks the first time I have played a game and have been glad for the mistakes I had made. In any case, there are many ways to experience this deep and highly entertaining story. "Mass Effect 2" will top many lists this year.

2. Minecraft (Open-world RPG / PC / Mojang Specifications)

This game is like fourteen bucks (the price is in euros, I forget what it was in dollars). There is no story. There are no quests. There are no bosses. There is almost no loot. The graphics are 8-bit. There is almost no music. And I haven't been addicted to a game like this since WoW. This game makes me feel like a kid, a kid who is afraid of the dark. A kid playing legos hiding from invisible enemies in the dark. If you would like to read more, I go into greater detail in a post. Do not miss this game.

1. Red Dead Redemption (RPG / PS3, XBox 360 / Rockstar San Diego)

"Red Dead Redemption" made me LOVE a genre I hated as a child. I won't go into a full rave about Red Dead, as I've written a post previously, but man, what a rich and wonderful world Rockstar has re imagined. I could play this game forever.

What a great year for games! What were your favorites?

On the docket for next year: Old Republic, Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Oblivion 5, Arkham City and Dragon Age 2, to name a few! Where will we find the time?! What are you most looking forward to next year?