Thursday, June 9, 2011

Portal 2 Review


So it seemed fitting to review one of the biggest games to drop for the year first. 


Portal 2 is the epic sequel to Valve's smash hit of a mini game Portal. The first game offered a fun set of mind bending puzzles that took you through the Aperture Labs test facility. Valve doesn't disappoint with their sequel, instead offering a more vibrant and less sterile world to make your way through. While the old standby of chamber by chamber play still exists, epic plot twists make the game's three character story feel more in depth. Progressing through some of the later sections of the game give you a look at some of Aperture's history, full of fantastic dialogue that veterans of the first game will surely recognize.


To take a slightly different approach to the game, one thing that made Portal so appealing was the level of freedom that it offered. The game was abound with glitches--some minor and some very significant, that made speed running and finding alternate puzzle solutions incredibly fun. In Portal 2 Valve has actually cleaned the game up so well that most of this old fun was lost. There is often still more than one way to solve a puzzle, but it tends to be limited to skipping parts of the intended solution.


While the lack of speed-run-ability is annoying, it's obviously applicable to a very limited set of people. With that in mind, let's talk about the co-op. Co-op is something that more and more games are incorporating into their play, and Valve does a great job of showing that they're the best in the industry. Co-op portal feels smooth, and  the puzzles bring back some of the old feelings from the original game. The puzzles are still very linear, but the amount of fun that giving people control offers is fantastic. Floating slowly through a tube of liquid while your friend is the one controlling that liquid offers quite a few hilarious encounters.


All in all Portal 2 absolutely lives up to its predecessor, and I would say it deserves the welcome it's gotten in the gaming community. The game is incredibly well built, and polishes some of the features and aspects that made Portal such a fantastic game. 

5/5 Cakes.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Changing Speeds

As much as I do love dwarf fortress, it's defiantly hard to find things to post that might be interesting to the lovely people who visit my blog. I've decided to change this blog up to be a game / gaming review blog. Although there are hundreds out there, I hope my reviews will prove insightful and interesting!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Cavern!



Finally struck my first cavern and...I don't have a military! This should provide some fun with all the what not that might be lurking in it's depths, but until I have a few legendary sword dwarfs I think I'll just leave that alone...

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Dwarf Influx!

Had a huge migration of 20 dwarves, which is great since I had all kinds of plans for what I was going to do with them once they got here--but I was so overwhelmed at the number I forgot most of it xD. Expanding my hunter count, and getting a gem cutter / setter online has gone well. Next up is a mechanic and a small military (I think three is enough for now right?) to get trained in case anything silly happens...Don't want to be unprepared for another mega beast >.>;

Friday, May 27, 2011

Steady Progress



If you've been following me at all you might recognize this image xP Pretty much the same layout as I used in the first fort I posted about on here for dorming.

New fort is going steady, not much to report on it--just waiting for more dwarves!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

New Embark! (3)




So, I find that every time I start over I get a little bit happier with the results I get. Instead of trying to mass planters, I realized in my last for that a massive crafting industry is probably the best way to use new migrants...that and a military in case of mega beasts...

With that in mind, lets kick it off again!

After one migration wave I have 2 carpenters, a wood cutter, 3 miners, 2 planters, a cook, a brewer, 2 masons, a hunter, and a butcher! Sounds like a very promising start to me.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

MEGA BEAST! (Update)

DEFEATED! After the death of one of my hunters, I gathered up the best squad I could do on short notice. I snatched the best military personnel in the fort and made them grab their favorite type of weapon. Lo and behold, the corpse of the giantess!



VICTORY FOR MY FORT! WOOT!