Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved the prospect of playing a video game about commanding a ship and sailing the seas. My real-life experience with sea travel is limited, but there has always been something so fascinating about the idea of a game taking place partially (or even entirely) on a boat of some kind.
Part of the reason for this is my love of all things pirates. There’s just something about those scavengers of the open seas that really appeal to me, and the interest in both pirates and sea travel in games has only increased exponentially since I was but a boy with dreams of playing a real pirate adventure.
Thankfully, the game industry has answered the call to create amazing open-seas games, with or without pirates, and I’m always pleasantly surprised when a new game with those elements I love pop up. READ MORE
I love co-op. I don’t think there will ever be a time when I don’t love co-op, and I hope it continues to be a popular trend in gaming. Whether it’s local or online, playing through a game with a friend is something that can enhance your experience tenfold. I even love going through single-player games with friends. There’s something about that experience that will never get old. However, I would never want all of my gaming experiences to be cooperative. There are plenty of games that benefit from being played solo, and while I sometimes I can appreciate the focus on co-op in franchises that were once solely single player experiences, it can lead to a large problem. READ MORE
This column contains a ton of spoilers for Dishonored. If you haven’t had a chance to finish it yet, I suggest doing so before reading ahead.
Dishonored is a game all about player choice, focusing less on Mass Effect-style dialogue options and more on your decisions through actions. As you quickly discover, you will be choosing to kill or spare many of those who wish to impede your ultimate goal of revenge. But Dishonored does more than simply give you the tools to decide the fates of those who betrayed you; it offers you a new perspective on a character who never utters a single word and it does so through the words and actions of others. Even the smallest details are enough to help form the most intriguing character I’ve seen in a game in years. READ MORE
We have a bit of a loot problem.
It’s hard to admit it, I know, but if you think about how often games implement a loot system and how frequently players take to hoarding piles of the stuff, you’ll realize it’s true. I’m definitely one of those people. It is easy for us to become obsessed with collecting things in games, not just loot-driven games, so it’s clear why loot is so prominent in some of the year’s biggest releases. This is not the loot problem I am referring to though. This problem stems from games that give you too much and, as a result, potentially ruin an otherwise-good experience. READ MORE
Last time I wrote about perfectionism and how that concept applied best to stealth games more than any other genre. Yet, when you think about it, stealth games have almost always been about rewarding those who approach scenarios as quickly and as quietly as possible. From Metal Gear Solid to Assassin’s Creed, there are always rewards for adhering to the rules of the genre with as few mistakes as possible. While this core idea has remained mostly consistent, the base mechanics that make these games as memorable as they have evolved or simply been streamlined, for better or for worse. READ MORE
