Back in black

Well, that was a longer than expected hiatus... sorry about that.

Since that last post, I've experienced picking up a game at launch (two, actually, including my first pre-order in over a decade), a controversy involving fanboy trolling, and my first multiplayer beta.  (Amongst other things, including my first Call of Duty game on a current generation console, being the glorious Black Ops, which I should devote some posting time to.)

The two launch games were the previously mentioned Halo: Reach and Dragon Age 2, by the way.

Show and Tell, Hearts and Minds

In case it wasn't obvious, what I was getting at with the Riddick games is that we're almost literally told he's a badass, but that doesn't tend to carry over to game play. In games like the Halo and Gears of War series, we're shown that the characters are badass, and part of that is through game play. Regenerating health is one of the best additions to gaming since unlimited continues, as it really does reinforce the concept of cinematic badassery in video games, and does make the experience that much more fun.

Tears of War

I cried during Gears of War 2.

It's the scene where Dom finds his wife after she's been taken by the Locusts, and I almost completely bawled during it. While I know exactly what it was, a visual cue, that touched a nerve with me, I'm not exactly sure why it was as evocative as it was. Is the direction and writing more nuanced that it seems?

Richard B. Riddick and the Annals of Video Game Badassery

So, this morning I finished The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, including Escape from Butcher’s Bay (the remake/remaster of the original Xbox game that was also on the disc), a couple of day’s previously. It was a satisfying, if frequently frustrating, play and I think I would recommend it to people who want to try something a little more ambitious than your average FPS.