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Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review

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Going into Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I had little to no interest in the series or the type of fiction this game is based on. I was bored by the Lord of the Rings movies, have no interest in playing anything like Dungeons & Dragons, and outside of Fire Emblem, never cared to play any video games based on fantasy. Prior to my brother and I’s purchase of Skyrim, we finally decided to play our copy of Oblivion, which has been sealed and sitting on our shelf for a year. While I could appreciate the ambition behind the game, the start of that game didn’t win me over. The start of that story wasn’t interesting, the race and class system was far too confusing for my tastes and the use of ‘ye olde English’ font irritated me from a readability and overall design perspective.

All things considered, I shouldn’t like Skyrim. The only reason I even bought it in the first place was because I think I’d be missing out on the gaming zeitgeist if I didn’t play this game. However, instead of shrugging it off like Oblivion, Skyrim has won me over in a big way.

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Size Matters: My Current Perspective on Long Games

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As I write this, I’m looking at my shelf of games. Three of those games include Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Dragon Age: Origins. Two of those games I received as gifts, while the third I picked up for cheap. I’ve had these games for almost a year now, yet I haven’t played any of them. In fact, you could almost say I’m actively avoiding them. What gives?

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Early Impressions of Muramasa: The Demon Blade

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During a time when the Wii was getting ragged on hard by the community for its inability to process graphics to the level of the XBOX 360 or PlayStation 3, Muramasa: The Demon Blade was one of those Wii-exclusive games the hardcore Wii gamers held up to the haters in response. While its in screen shots and in videos were enough to get me to pick it up on the cheap during a Blockbuster closing sale, I wasn’t ready for how gorgeous it actually looked and ran on my TV. Like Kirby’s Epic Yarn, it uses strong art direction and stylistic graphics to overcome the Wii’s technical limitations to great effect.

Although it may have the looks going for it, games can’t survive on pretty looks alone. Having played a few hours of Muramasa: The Demon Blade so far, I can tell you that there’s a lot more here than just a pretty face.

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Pick Up Post: Fallout 3

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For a game I’ve never played before, I know quite a bit about Fallout 3. I know that it’s a first-person RPG made by the same guys who did Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I also know a bunch of weird story details, which I’ve heard through a few of my close friends, who love this game to death. They’ve always tried to talk me into playing the game, but for one reason or another, I’ve passed on it.

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Pick Up Post – Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

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As with Dragon Age: Origins, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a game that is way outside of my comfort zone. Other than the fact that it is a first-person RPG, all I know is that it’s made by Bethesda, that it is/was really buggy, and that a lot of people love this 100+ hour game.

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Out Now: Mass Effect 2 for the PlayStation 3

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For all of the gamers who only own a PlayStation 3, I have a job for you. Now that Mass Effect 2 is out, I need you to play it. Buy a copy in the store. Download it through the PlayStation Network. Rent it from Blockbuster. As long as you don’t bootleg it, I don’t really care how you go about playing this game. But please, do yourself a favour, and play this game.

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Pick Up Post – Dragon Age: Origins

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Humans are creatures of habit. We stick with what we know and we generally don’t like to deviate from that. However, you’ll never know what awesome things you’re missing out on if you don’t reach outside of your comfort zone. One of my favourite examples of me reaching out of my comfort zone has nothing to do with games. Just over a year ago, my girlfriend Steff introduced me to Thai food. Mmm…

As far as games go, the biggest jump I made out of my comfort zone in recent memory was Mass Effect. Having heard so many great things about this series, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give this action RPG a shot. Needless to say, it made quite the impression on me.

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Infinity Blade Review

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Infinity Blade is a revelation. Built on Unreal Engine, this game pushes the graphical boundaries of the iPhone and iPad so far beyond what you think those devices are capable of that you may have a hard time believing that these visuals are coming from those devices. One could say it’s, unreal.

Sorry for the horrible joke. I don’t need to explain to anyone how amazing this game looks. But it is worth talking about how well it actually plays. Does the gameplay rival the graphics in awesomenss? Or is this a graphical showcase with no substance?

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Closing Thoughts on Mass Effect 2

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When this game first came out in January, the Internet buzz surrounding Mass Effect 2 was insane. People were hailing this as the game of the year 2010, regardless of what else was to come out in the next 11 months. I got so caught up in the Mass Effect 2 that I went out and bought Mass Effect 1 and beat it just so that I could get the full Mass Effect 2 experience.

Mass Effect 1 rocked my socks pretty hard. If it weren’t for a few excessive RPG elements and technical issues, it could have been right near the top of my unofficial “best games I’ve ever played” list. With such lofty expectations built up for this game, did they live up to them?

Yes. Yes they did.

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Suicidal Thoughts

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(WARNING: This post is about the endgame for Mass Effect 2. I will try my best not to spoil anything, but feel free to skip this if you fear I may ruin something for you)

I just finished Mass Effect 2, and I felt compelled to share my thoughts on the endgame sequence to the game. I have been hyper-critical of endgame sequences in the past, but I am glad to report that Mass Effect 2 does not fall by the wayside. It’s a fantastic experience from beginning to end, but the gravity of the situation and the choices you make leading up to the final mission build up to one of the most epic and varied endgame sequences I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

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