Recenzii recente de nathanbobathan

A great policy and economic simulator. International relations are viewed mostly by how they affect the economy. The expansions are recommended, especially "clones and drones," as it adds continued challenges on issues such as climate change and rare metal shortages.

It is far easier to pass legislation in this game than it is in a real democracy (particularly for the United States), but weird assasination plays a clear balancing role here. Make overly radical rather than incremental changes to the government, and you risk assasination.

The game does not seem to have a particular partisan agenda, though of course some will claim otherwise. The easiest way to build a socially inclusive and economically vibrant society depends on the country you are governing. The classic challenges apply: raise taxes too much and risk stifling economic growth. Have taxes too low and go into debt, which will eventually harm economic growth. Cut spending too much and put serious harm on the job market and wreck infrastructure, also harming the economy.

Balance all this while also being appealing enough to your base to get reelected. Rinse. Repeat.

I enjoyed this both as a pulpy supernatural mystery and as an emotionally affecting coming of age story. The trials that Max faces throughout the game highlight her growth both as a burgeoning photographer and as a human being trying to figure out the best way to treat other people. Rewinding time both acts as a teen power fantasy and as an illustration of the way we all learn, through trial and error, how to communicate with others.

Like Telltale's The Walking Dead, it asks players to make choices and live with the consequences. Unlike The Walking Dead, you might get a few chances along the way to retread your steps. But at what cost? One of the most powerful lessons at the core of Life is Strange is that most choices aren't the prelude to good or bad outcomes, but rather to outcomes in varying shades of gray.

I've read some internet think-pieces criticizing the authenticity of how Life is Strange presents teenagers. Specifically, some take issue with the dialogue. You'll hear the adjective "hella" more times than you can count on two hands, and biting insults like "go f*** your selfie" are thrown around casually.

As to the authenticity question, I can't speak to what kind of lingo is in vogue with teens today, let alone how that might translate to a small town somewhere in the pacific northwest (I live in Philly). I do know something about the relational and moral dilemmas of adolescence. I remember how oversized they felt, and the dialogue of Life is Strange captures that beautifully. Perhaps when some adults find pieces of dialogue in Life is Strange "cringeworthy," they are embarrassed in recognition of not some failure on the part of the writers, but something vulnerable inside themselves.

The highs and lows of those years may seem petty now, but it's impossible for them not to live inside us somewhere. Every so often a piece of fiction comes along that is able to dig up those raw but willfully forgotten parts of ourselves.

Sometimes the situations and interactions I faced in Life is Strange made me cringe, and sometimes they made me laugh, and sometimes they simply made me spend moments in silence — both while playing and for days after.

There are some imperfections. While you will find more nuanced adult characters here than in a John Hughes' movie, there is one adult who plays an increasingly large role in the story that eventually begins acting solely as a plot device rather than as a human being.

That never stops Life is Strange from being something special. It's not just a game you play, but one you live with until you realize that something about it had been a part of you all along.

I really dug this title. I found the mystery intriguing and the gameplay strangely addicting. Catching people in lies is a blast, especially with this cast of characters.

The ending was honestly pretty unsatisfying, but I get the sense that the game designer was aware of this. It seemed like a lot of the mystery we uncovered ended up being inconsequential and too quickly disgarded in the end. No matter, because while the destination may have been drab the ride was a blast. We'll just need to get a sequel.

The Wolf Among Us is detective/noir game in a fairy tale setting. Visually, it is probably the most inspired thing I have seen come out of telltale. The comicbook art style just works beautifully with the subject matter, and they clearly have a lot of fun with dark colors.

As a "choice matters" follow-up to the excellent first season of The Walking Dead, results are a little more mixed. The Wolf Among Us fails to capture the subtle satisfaction of Walking Dead, in part because rather than being tormented by ethical dillemas, most of Bigby's choices revolve around whether or not he should punch people.

Because most of the characters have a Loony Tunes like ability to come out of violent situations unharmed, and because bad guys tend to be REALLY bad, these choices aren't exactly agonizing. You get introduced to a ***** of a character early on named Georgie, and like any sane person I punched him the first chance I got.

So if it fails as a "choice matters" game, how else does it stack up? Well, as an adventure games, there are no challenging puzzles. As a "mystery," there aren't really many clear pieces to put together. It's an enjoyable setting and story, but because the verbs revolve around making choices that are largely uninteresting, it doesn't quite live up to some of Telltale's earlier work.

Despite all that, I still highly recommend this game, mostly because the visuals and writing are often so damn good. Think of it as an cool animated mini-series with some light interactive elements, and I promise you won't be disappointed.

A relentlessly sad experience, but one full of systems that allow for non-scripted events. The gorgeous environments provide stark contrast to the cruelty.

Far Cry 2 isn't for everyone. It won't make you feel particularly powerful or heroic. You play as a mercenary in a fictional, war torn African country. You kill for profit, so if this game made you a hero, there'd be something seriously wrong with it.

The number of hours I have spent playing this game probably speaks to something. Spelunky is extremely challenging, but it is possible to get better. With a low time commitment per game (especially if you keep dying so quickly) It is also insanely easy to go "just one more time." For me, this is the perfect recipe for a game I can't stop playing.

If you like platformers, randomized maps, and insane challenges, this is for you.

A thorough playthrough of Gone Home will take you about 1.5 - 4 hours, depending on how thorough you are, and it doesn't star a protagonist who wanders around the world looking at things over the barrel of a gun. If for you, those two qualities constitute a poor game, you will not like Gone Home. Fortunately, there are plenty of other games that allow you to walk around shooting things for 40+ hours. Go play those games, and know they are in no danger of extinction.

Gone Home can also exist. It's not about violence, but instead about teenage rebellion, little family dramas, and the subtle ways that ancestors continue to haunt their living descendents. The story is told entirely by exploring and observing your environment. It allows the player to connect personally with the setting with a degree of specificity that would not be possible in any other storytelling medium.

At one point, you find a school-preparation list with all items checked off except for "a positive attitude." This kind of attention to detail will allow you to discover secrets and emotional truths from these characters organically. I love it when game designers include these kinds of touches, and am thrilled that someone with a good story to tell has made a game built entirely from the sort of subtle cues we too often rush past on our way to complete some hollow objective.

Gone Home is full of voices and objects and set pieces I am not used to seeing in games. I am glad that I have been able to encounter them here. I am saddened that those who prefer the more prevalent gameplaying paradigms feel threatened by the fact that this game got made, and that some are playing and enjoying it.

It is possible for many different kinds of games to exist, and Gone Home is a rare sort of game. It deserves the critical acclaim it has received, and is too good for the ludicrous scorn that some member of the gaming community have felt the need to heap on it.

The Penumbra series is an impressive thing to behold. While Frictional Games' follow up title "Amnesia" managed to improve on this in nearly every way, Penumbra is still a very effective combat-light survival horror game. You might find flaws in the interface, but you'll be sweating too hard most of the time to take much notice.

I've said many times that the experience of playing this game is more terrifying than any other piece of fictional media I've absorbed (that includes movies and books).

Generally, Amnesia does a good job of spinning it's dark, twisted yarn - and the atmospheric power can't be denied. If you don't mind a good scare, you should definitely check this one out.