More TV Content for XBox Live
Microsoft has announced the addition of almost 40 more digital content providers added to their service in 20 countries. For us here in Canada, this includes Rodgers and TELUS. The above article mentions that this content will be available in time for the holidays, so I would assume it would be included in the next Dashboard update which is supposed to happen on 15 November.
XBox 360 System Update
There was an XBox 360 update today. No new features and no change log has been released (as usual) so not sure what was changed. Some users complained of problems getting their system to work after the update in the comments on the above site (Major Nelson). Does not appear to be widespread and I did not have a problem with my update.
It it likely that the above update is to prepare for the big dashboard update that is coming on 15 November.
Update: No update yet, rumours are now 19 or 25 November.
Follow this link to sign up a public beta for the new dashboard.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Gears of War 3 Review - Part 2
Continued from Part 1
Warzone: Same as Team Deathmatch, but with only one life. Matches tend to be quite fast in this mode
Execution: Similar to Team Deathmatch, but enemy players must be killed with an execution.
Capture the Leader: Each team has a leader and if that leader is captured by the other team, that player holds him as a meatshield and a countdown timer begins. Free your leader before the countdown ends or lose the match. If both leaders are captured, all countdowns stop.
King of the Hill: A ring opens up somewhere on the map and teams must move a player into that ring to capture it. Once captured, the opposing team must move into the ring to break the capture and then remain in it to capture it. Once captured, each “tick” adds a point to the team total. First team to 150 points wins the match. KOTH is my favourite mode, as deaths do not matter for wins, so my Kill/Death ratio of .3 (yes, that's 10 deaths to 3 kills) is not as much of a penalty to my team.
Wingman: Also another great mode that is less played. Four 2 man teams take the field and work to kill all the other teams. One life for each teammate. Points are awarded for kills, downs, etc. The team with the most points wins the match. Being the last team alive does not guarentee a win.
Horde Mode: This is the mode made famous by Gears. Five players work cooperatively to stand against up to 50 waves of locus beasts. Players gain money for kills and assists and then use that money to buy fortifications, targets, turrets, sentrys and silverbacks to help them keep back the hordes. Although you get some ammo at the start of each wave, you will have to scavange ammo during each wave. Getting to level 20 is fairly easy. Anything after level 30 is a challenge. There are various challenge modes that pop up which give bonus ammo and weapons (survive the wave without any player being killed, kill 7 enemies with chainsaw bayonet, etc) and each 10th wave is a boss wave. There is a bit of a persistant element to Horde mode as the amount of money you spend on each type of fortification is counted and the more you spend, the more advanced fortifications are available to the player in future games. A lot of fun, but be prepared to spend 1-3 hours to finish.
Beast Mode: I love beast mode. This is the other side of Horde mode. The players choose a locus beast to play and attack the AI which are set up as per Horde mode. There are up to 12 waves and each wave is timed. As the players complete a wave they are given more money which unlocks up to 4 levels of beasts, including the highest level, which includes the boss level beasts. Although you can lose a wave if you are not paying attention, it is pretty easy to clear all waves. High scores are based on clearing the wave with the fastest time. Being the bad guys is always fun, so this is my favourite mode due to the pure, animal carnage.
Conclusion: Gears 3 is a great game. If you enjoyed Gears 1 or 2, getting 3 is a no brainer. If you enjoy story driven FPS then you will love the campaign. Multiplayer has enough game types to appeal to everyone, even a crappy player with a K/D ratio of .3
Update: This weekend has an event running, Big Head Mode. It is similar to Team Deathmatch, except the head are bigger and all voices sound like they have snorted helium.
This guide provides a video walkthrough to the locations of all collectables (Spoiler Alert). It is so complete, you could just watch all the videos in order and get the story.
First DLC on November 1 - Details here.
Join me on XBox - GamerTag: Grusome11
Warzone: Same as Team Deathmatch, but with only one life. Matches tend to be quite fast in this mode
Execution: Similar to Team Deathmatch, but enemy players must be killed with an execution.
Capture the Leader: Each team has a leader and if that leader is captured by the other team, that player holds him as a meatshield and a countdown timer begins. Free your leader before the countdown ends or lose the match. If both leaders are captured, all countdowns stop.
King of the Hill: A ring opens up somewhere on the map and teams must move a player into that ring to capture it. Once captured, the opposing team must move into the ring to break the capture and then remain in it to capture it. Once captured, each “tick” adds a point to the team total. First team to 150 points wins the match. KOTH is my favourite mode, as deaths do not matter for wins, so my Kill/Death ratio of .3 (yes, that's 10 deaths to 3 kills) is not as much of a penalty to my team.
Wingman: Also another great mode that is less played. Four 2 man teams take the field and work to kill all the other teams. One life for each teammate. Points are awarded for kills, downs, etc. The team with the most points wins the match. Being the last team alive does not guarentee a win.
Horde Mode: This is the mode made famous by Gears. Five players work cooperatively to stand against up to 50 waves of locus beasts. Players gain money for kills and assists and then use that money to buy fortifications, targets, turrets, sentrys and silverbacks to help them keep back the hordes. Although you get some ammo at the start of each wave, you will have to scavange ammo during each wave. Getting to level 20 is fairly easy. Anything after level 30 is a challenge. There are various challenge modes that pop up which give bonus ammo and weapons (survive the wave without any player being killed, kill 7 enemies with chainsaw bayonet, etc) and each 10th wave is a boss wave. There is a bit of a persistant element to Horde mode as the amount of money you spend on each type of fortification is counted and the more you spend, the more advanced fortifications are available to the player in future games. A lot of fun, but be prepared to spend 1-3 hours to finish.
Beast Mode: I love beast mode. This is the other side of Horde mode. The players choose a locus beast to play and attack the AI which are set up as per Horde mode. There are up to 12 waves and each wave is timed. As the players complete a wave they are given more money which unlocks up to 4 levels of beasts, including the highest level, which includes the boss level beasts. Although you can lose a wave if you are not paying attention, it is pretty easy to clear all waves. High scores are based on clearing the wave with the fastest time. Being the bad guys is always fun, so this is my favourite mode due to the pure, animal carnage.
Conclusion: Gears 3 is a great game. If you enjoyed Gears 1 or 2, getting 3 is a no brainer. If you enjoy story driven FPS then you will love the campaign. Multiplayer has enough game types to appeal to everyone, even a crappy player with a K/D ratio of .3
Update: This weekend has an event running, Big Head Mode. It is similar to Team Deathmatch, except the head are bigger and all voices sound like they have snorted helium.
This guide provides a video walkthrough to the locations of all collectables (Spoiler Alert). It is so complete, you could just watch all the videos in order and get the story.
First DLC on November 1 - Details here.
Join me on XBox - GamerTag: Grusome11
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Gears of War 3 Review - Part 1
There are numerous good Gears of War 3 reviews out there, such as this one from Gamespot or this one from IGN. I thought I would write my review with the assumption that the reader was already a fan or has read another more basic review. I will take more about the multiplayer aspects.
Background
Firstly, you should know that when I am playing a console FPS, I enjoy the more story driven ones such as Halo or Gears. I save what I consider the more serious FPS for the PC. Also I am a fan of the series. I played and enjoyed Gears 1 and Gears 2. If you enjoyed Gears 1 and/or Gears 2, then you will enjoy this one as well. The campaign is high quality and well written, similar to the first two. I found the final boss battle to be well balanced. In Gears 1, I had the hardest time killing RAAM, even after going online for hints. Gears 2 seemed too easy, I killed the final boss on the first try (although this may have been the difficulty setting). Like Goldilocks, Gears 3 was just right (on Hardcore).
Multiplayer
Connection: I live a bit out of town in a rural area and my access to high speed internet is through wireless. My connection is probably at the high end of wireless when it comes to speed and realibility, however not on the same level as most of the people accessing through cable. Yet I get good connections 99% of the time. Although I prefer a list of servers that I choose, my experience with the 360 and Gears 3 matchmaking has been very postitive. The system lists the number of persons online for each game mode and the number in your region. It will then find matches and connect to the best one. This process usually takes 1-2 minutes, depending on the number of people playing that game. Occasionally it can take 5 minutes for me, but I am sure that is due to my connection andthe low number of players playing that mode. Anyone in North America with a cable connection should connect within 2 minutes or less.
Player Maturity: Everyone is familiar with the high pitched, squeaky voiced, homophobic 13 year olds found in console FPS games like Halo. Thanks to the mature rating of Gears 3, I have yet to run into one. Unfortunately this is replaced by the 22 year old who taunts you constantly for "sucking". However, I prefer this to being taunted by someone who's balls have yet to drop.
Game Types
Team Deathmatch: Standard Team Deathmatch with 20 lives per team. The maps in Gears 3 tend to be smaller, making it easy to get back into battle quickly on respawn (something I do a lot). Even small, the maps provide plenty of opportunity to flank. Matches are intense and very enjoyable with the majority of people playing this type of match, making it easy to find a match or change teams if you are getting skunked.
Continued in Part 2
Background
Firstly, you should know that when I am playing a console FPS, I enjoy the more story driven ones such as Halo or Gears. I save what I consider the more serious FPS for the PC. Also I am a fan of the series. I played and enjoyed Gears 1 and Gears 2. If you enjoyed Gears 1 and/or Gears 2, then you will enjoy this one as well. The campaign is high quality and well written, similar to the first two. I found the final boss battle to be well balanced. In Gears 1, I had the hardest time killing RAAM, even after going online for hints. Gears 2 seemed too easy, I killed the final boss on the first try (although this may have been the difficulty setting). Like Goldilocks, Gears 3 was just right (on Hardcore).
Multiplayer
Connection: I live a bit out of town in a rural area and my access to high speed internet is through wireless. My connection is probably at the high end of wireless when it comes to speed and realibility, however not on the same level as most of the people accessing through cable. Yet I get good connections 99% of the time. Although I prefer a list of servers that I choose, my experience with the 360 and Gears 3 matchmaking has been very postitive. The system lists the number of persons online for each game mode and the number in your region. It will then find matches and connect to the best one. This process usually takes 1-2 minutes, depending on the number of people playing that game. Occasionally it can take 5 minutes for me, but I am sure that is due to my connection andthe low number of players playing that mode. Anyone in North America with a cable connection should connect within 2 minutes or less.
Player Maturity: Everyone is familiar with the high pitched, squeaky voiced, homophobic 13 year olds found in console FPS games like Halo. Thanks to the mature rating of Gears 3, I have yet to run into one. Unfortunately this is replaced by the 22 year old who taunts you constantly for "sucking". However, I prefer this to being taunted by someone who's balls have yet to drop.
Game Types
Team Deathmatch: Standard Team Deathmatch with 20 lives per team. The maps in Gears 3 tend to be smaller, making it easy to get back into battle quickly on respawn (something I do a lot). Even small, the maps provide plenty of opportunity to flank. Matches are intense and very enjoyable with the majority of people playing this type of match, making it easy to find a match or change teams if you are getting skunked.
Continued in Part 2
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Who Killed Videogames?
This article is one of the best I have read in a long time. If you have any interest in how games are being developed, especially social games, this is a must read. Also, it is written in an engaging way. I highly recommend it.
Note that it is more than one page long so you must click through to see the rest.
Note that it is more than one page long so you must click through to see the rest.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
XBox Live New Dashboard Design
XBox Live is preparing a dashboard redesign for release this fall.
This article has all the details. Release date is set for 25 October. Update : More recent info has release set for 15 November.
I agree with the above article, the present dashboard is cluttered and is due for a redesign. There have been a number of additions (Netflix, facebook) that have contributed to this clutter.
This update is to focus on performance, discoverability and voice.
For me, increased functionality to voice will be welcome. Last month our old, white 360 finally gave up the ghost after a few weeks of the occasional 3 red rings. So we went whole hog with a new black 360 with Kinect. I thought my five year old daughter would get some use out of the motion games (she is not very good with a controller) and I was curious as to how it worked. We also signed up for netflix. My wife had signed us up for several different video delivery services, so going with instant delivery over the internet seemed a no brainer, compared with waiting for them to send you the disk of their choosing through the mail.
One thing that disappointed me about voice functionality was that it did not seem to work for certain functions. Being able to pick or play a movie with voice or gestures is less useful if I have to pick up the controller to get through certain parts of the process. This update should fix that.
Just by looking at the pictures of the new dashboard, the performance improvements are obvious. No more endless scrolling to find a deal of the week.
The discoverability aspect has to do with the use of Bing to search for movies, games, etc. There is not too much out there about how well the search functions. I will reserve judgement until I have a chance to test it.
Cautiously optimistic about October 25th. (or November 15th)
This article has all the details. Release date is set for 25 October. Update : More recent info has release set for 15 November.
I agree with the above article, the present dashboard is cluttered and is due for a redesign. There have been a number of additions (Netflix, facebook) that have contributed to this clutter.
This update is to focus on performance, discoverability and voice.
For me, increased functionality to voice will be welcome. Last month our old, white 360 finally gave up the ghost after a few weeks of the occasional 3 red rings. So we went whole hog with a new black 360 with Kinect. I thought my five year old daughter would get some use out of the motion games (she is not very good with a controller) and I was curious as to how it worked. We also signed up for netflix. My wife had signed us up for several different video delivery services, so going with instant delivery over the internet seemed a no brainer, compared with waiting for them to send you the disk of their choosing through the mail.
One thing that disappointed me about voice functionality was that it did not seem to work for certain functions. Being able to pick or play a movie with voice or gestures is less useful if I have to pick up the controller to get through certain parts of the process. This update should fix that.
Just by looking at the pictures of the new dashboard, the performance improvements are obvious. No more endless scrolling to find a deal of the week.
The discoverability aspect has to do with the use of Bing to search for movies, games, etc. There is not too much out there about how well the search functions. I will reserve judgement until I have a chance to test it.
Cautiously optimistic about October 25th. (or November 15th)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Session Report - Battlestar Galactica - Can You Jump Any Farther?
My FLGS had another gaming day last weekend and the group played another 2 games of Battlestar. Here is the first session report.
This was a base game (no expansions) with six players and a sympathizer.
Players
President Roslin - Me
Adama - Jeff
Apollo - Craig
Boomer - Matt
Helo - George
Chief - Remmington
I am not a Cylon
The game starts with the Galactica being surrounded by Cylons very quickly. Someone pulls the Cylon virus card, which we fail. A total of 14 Raiders surround us, along with the Basestars and a Heavy Raider. Galactica is hit right off the bat, sending Adama to sick bay and 2 vipers are damaged. We fail the Cylon Virus crisis and are boarded. Laura XO's Boomer who rolls like a champ and kills 5 raiders. Helo XO's Adama, who kills another raider. We jump and pull the distance 3 card. Adama kills the boarder on his turn and the ship is safe. No suspicion has been raised at this point.
So far so good. The next jump will take us to the sleeper phase. The Chief picks the crisis that allows him to look at a loyalty card. He chooses me, and reveals to everyone that I am not a Cylon (the truth). Helo finally gets into the game. Rescue the Fleet Crisis is pulled Adama chooses to lose 2 population instead of pulling out a Basestar and Raiders. As we are close jumping, I immediately suspect Adama of being the Cylon. We jump and Adama picks a distance of 2, putting us at a total distance of 5 with only 2 jumps. If he is the Cylon, he is sure trying to get us to Kobol in a hurry.
Boomer is placed in the brig twice, one for being Boomer and she reveals that she has the sympathizer card. Since at least one of our resources is below critical, she does not become a Cylon. The next Crisis is Terrorist Investigations and Apollo's loyalty is checked. Boomer gets out of the brig easily as no one suspects her.
The next crisis is Forced Water Mining which we fail. This is the first indication that there is a Cylon. Boomer is acting suspicious. She is putting in cards when she has none of the type to help the skill check. Before anyone can put her in the Brig, Boomer reveals and brigs Apollo. Apollo can't get out on his turn. Raiders a civilian ship and population is reduced by one more. We jump a distance of 2 for a total of 7.
Boomer plays her Super Crisis, Bomb on Colonial One, which we pass. We jump again. Apollo finally gets out of the brig.
Due to the fact that the President has not been doing anything useful, Adama gets suspicious and suggests she be brigged. I deny that I am the Cylon. Just before Laura's turn, they brig her. With resources at Morale 1, Fuel 1, Food 6, and pop 7, I reveal. My loyalty card allows me to reduce morale by one if I was not in the brig. Humans save themselves from defeat. The next crisis is Tactical Strike. There are 12 raiders and 4 heavy raiders on the board. If the humans do not jump soon, it could be all over. Helo goes to FTL, and with 7 population left, risks the -3 pop and jumps.
Humans win.
Post Game: I drew my Cylon card in the sleeper phase. Boomer was a Cylon from the beginning. Boomer says she suspected I was also a Cylon. I caught Boomer several times giving me the "Are you the Cylon?" look from across the table after she revealed. I guess my blank stare back said more a nod or a shake. I don't think I am going to use the sympathizer rule next time.
This was a base game (no expansions) with six players and a sympathizer.
Players
President Roslin - Me
Adama - Jeff
Apollo - Craig
Boomer - Matt
Helo - George
Chief - Remmington
I am not a Cylon
The game starts with the Galactica being surrounded by Cylons very quickly. Someone pulls the Cylon virus card, which we fail. A total of 14 Raiders surround us, along with the Basestars and a Heavy Raider. Galactica is hit right off the bat, sending Adama to sick bay and 2 vipers are damaged. We fail the Cylon Virus crisis and are boarded. Laura XO's Boomer who rolls like a champ and kills 5 raiders. Helo XO's Adama, who kills another raider. We jump and pull the distance 3 card. Adama kills the boarder on his turn and the ship is safe. No suspicion has been raised at this point.
So far so good. The next jump will take us to the sleeper phase. The Chief picks the crisis that allows him to look at a loyalty card. He chooses me, and reveals to everyone that I am not a Cylon (the truth). Helo finally gets into the game. Rescue the Fleet Crisis is pulled Adama chooses to lose 2 population instead of pulling out a Basestar and Raiders. As we are close jumping, I immediately suspect Adama of being the Cylon. We jump and Adama picks a distance of 2, putting us at a total distance of 5 with only 2 jumps. If he is the Cylon, he is sure trying to get us to Kobol in a hurry.
Boomer is placed in the brig twice, one for being Boomer and she reveals that she has the sympathizer card. Since at least one of our resources is below critical, she does not become a Cylon. The next Crisis is Terrorist Investigations and Apollo's loyalty is checked. Boomer gets out of the brig easily as no one suspects her.
The next crisis is Forced Water Mining which we fail. This is the first indication that there is a Cylon. Boomer is acting suspicious. She is putting in cards when she has none of the type to help the skill check. Before anyone can put her in the Brig, Boomer reveals and brigs Apollo. Apollo can't get out on his turn. Raiders a civilian ship and population is reduced by one more. We jump a distance of 2 for a total of 7.
Boomer plays her Super Crisis, Bomb on Colonial One, which we pass. We jump again. Apollo finally gets out of the brig.
Due to the fact that the President has not been doing anything useful, Adama gets suspicious and suggests she be brigged. I deny that I am the Cylon. Just before Laura's turn, they brig her. With resources at Morale 1, Fuel 1, Food 6, and pop 7, I reveal. My loyalty card allows me to reduce morale by one if I was not in the brig. Humans save themselves from defeat. The next crisis is Tactical Strike. There are 12 raiders and 4 heavy raiders on the board. If the humans do not jump soon, it could be all over. Helo goes to FTL, and with 7 population left, risks the -3 pop and jumps.
Humans win.
Post Game: I drew my Cylon card in the sleeper phase. Boomer was a Cylon from the beginning. Boomer says she suspected I was also a Cylon. I caught Boomer several times giving me the "Are you the Cylon?" look from across the table after she revealed. I guess my blank stare back said more a nod or a shake. I don't think I am going to use the sympathizer rule next time.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
XCOM Defence - Part 2
Part 1
If you want to gets some information on the upcoming "remake" of XCOM (and I say remake in quotes, as there is a lot of discussion as to if it is really a remake) check out their site and these two videos:
XCOM site
XCOM Demo walkthrough (June 2011) 22 mins
Dev Diary #1
Just to put my own preferences in perspective, shooters are not my favourite game type. If I do play shooters, it tends to be those very heavy on the story side, such as Halo and Gears of War. I find those stories well written and engaging. If I am looking for multi player carnage, I will switch from console to PC and play something like Battlefield: Bad Company.
There is quites a bit of discussion on IGN and Blue's News as to whether or not this upcoming game from 2K is really a remake of XCOM.
The original XCOM was a turn based while this remake has become an FPS. Does this deserve to be part of the XCOM legacy?
In a word? Who cares!
What we want are great games. If this XCOM can deliver a great game, I don't care if it is a true successor or not.
However, let's look at soem of the details. Probably the most obvious aspect of the original was the turn based squad movement. While I enjoyed this aspect, some of the battles could become tedious at the end. As I mentioned in Part 1 of this post, the key aspect of the original XCOM was the tension, the not knowing what was in the fog, what horror I would see next. When those evil aliens attacked my base (something I never expected) I was pissed. I don't think we took any prisoners on that mission. If this remake can maintain that tension, they are a long way towards following in the footsteps of the original. Unfortunately, I think some of the video they are releasing will make it harder to capture that tension. Imagine walking through those towns in the video and seen that black stuff and thinking "What the hell is that?!" If you have seen the videos some of that tension is already lost. Note to 2k if you are reading this: Don't release any more details of the enemies the player will face. No more screenshots, nothing. It will make the game that much better.
What also made the original so enjoyable was that you could recruit new agents, develop those agents, capture alien tech and aliens, and research them to discover new weapons (and mind powers). It seems this remake has all of that (not sure about the mind powers). You can recruit new agents, take them on missions to gain experience, find tech and use it to research new stuff.
For me, the jury is still out on this remake. However, if it captures the tension of the original, along with the ability to recruit/develop agents and discover new tech, it will have covered the key aspects that made the original so compelling.
Your mileage may vary.
If you want to gets some information on the upcoming "remake" of XCOM (and I say remake in quotes, as there is a lot of discussion as to if it is really a remake) check out their site and these two videos:
XCOM site
XCOM Demo walkthrough (June 2011) 22 mins
Dev Diary #1
Just to put my own preferences in perspective, shooters are not my favourite game type. If I do play shooters, it tends to be those very heavy on the story side, such as Halo and Gears of War. I find those stories well written and engaging. If I am looking for multi player carnage, I will switch from console to PC and play something like Battlefield: Bad Company.
There is quites a bit of discussion on IGN and Blue's News as to whether or not this upcoming game from 2K is really a remake of XCOM.
The original XCOM was a turn based while this remake has become an FPS. Does this deserve to be part of the XCOM legacy?
In a word? Who cares!
What we want are great games. If this XCOM can deliver a great game, I don't care if it is a true successor or not.
However, let's look at soem of the details. Probably the most obvious aspect of the original was the turn based squad movement. While I enjoyed this aspect, some of the battles could become tedious at the end. As I mentioned in Part 1 of this post, the key aspect of the original XCOM was the tension, the not knowing what was in the fog, what horror I would see next. When those evil aliens attacked my base (something I never expected) I was pissed. I don't think we took any prisoners on that mission. If this remake can maintain that tension, they are a long way towards following in the footsteps of the original. Unfortunately, I think some of the video they are releasing will make it harder to capture that tension. Imagine walking through those towns in the video and seen that black stuff and thinking "What the hell is that?!" If you have seen the videos some of that tension is already lost. Note to 2k if you are reading this: Don't release any more details of the enemies the player will face. No more screenshots, nothing. It will make the game that much better.
What also made the original so enjoyable was that you could recruit new agents, develop those agents, capture alien tech and aliens, and research them to discover new weapons (and mind powers). It seems this remake has all of that (not sure about the mind powers). You can recruit new agents, take them on missions to gain experience, find tech and use it to research new stuff.
For me, the jury is still out on this remake. However, if it captures the tension of the original, along with the ability to recruit/develop agents and discover new tech, it will have covered the key aspects that made the original so compelling.
Your mileage may vary.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Gears of War 3 Released Today
I picked up my copy of Gears of War 3 that I had preordered from my Friendly Local Gaming Store(FLGS).
Can't play it until after the kids go to bed. The 5 year old is already gets upset when Daddy dies in Halo. Gears is much too scary and gory for her.
I may post up a review in a week.
Can't play it until after the kids go to bed. The 5 year old is already gets upset when Daddy dies in Halo. Gears is much too scary and gory for her.
I may post up a review in a week.
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Joy of XCOM - Part 1
I remember the first time I played the original X-COM. It was the mid 1990's (1994 or 95). The internet was just starting to see widespread use at speed of 14 or 28k. I did not even own a PC, but a friend of mine lent me his when he went away for a few weeks.
I remember finding the game on his hard drive and starting it up, not knowing anything about it. The game didn't really explain what was going on (or at least I did not bother to read it). The first thing I saw was the globe with the terminator marching across it. I had one base and I remember clicking on it to open it up and wondering what I was supposed to do with these agents and fighter jets.
Suddenly the screen lights up and something is invading our airspace! I scramble my fighters to engage. The first one escapes without me even getting off a shot. I am better prepared the second time, but the enemy shoots me down! Third time is a charm, and I shoot them down. Now what? I guess it might be a good idea to find out what I shot down. Unfortunately, by the time I get there, they have left. Nuts! What is going on and what are these things?
I remember finding the game on his hard drive and starting it up, not knowing anything about it. The game didn't really explain what was going on (or at least I did not bother to read it). The first thing I saw was the globe with the terminator marching across it. I had one base and I remember clicking on it to open it up and wondering what I was supposed to do with these agents and fighter jets.
Suddenly the screen lights up and something is invading our airspace! I scramble my fighters to engage. The first one escapes without me even getting off a shot. I am better prepared the second time, but the enemy shoots me down! Third time is a charm, and I shoot them down. Now what? I guess it might be a good idea to find out what I shot down. Unfortunately, by the time I get there, they have left. Nuts! What is going on and what are these things?
Another incursion, this time I am ready. I shoot them down and have my troops ready to land on the site and find out what is going on. I remember the scene, a farm area with hay bales and most of the map dark. Where are these things? I spread out my troops and advance, moving from cover to cover, having no idea of what kind of monsters lurk in he shadows. I few turn pass and still no enemy, is anything even here? I scan the map several times and finally see a pair of non human feet poking out of the fog of war. What else is there? What are these aliens up to?
No game since has captured that level of tension. I never did finish the final Mars mission, but the sheer delight of not knowing what will happen, what new weapons I might be able to research and what these aliens were up to made the game a joy to play. I have been searching for a game with that level of joy of discovery ever since.
Part 2 - A discussion of the new FPS version vs the turn based.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Session Report - Battlestar Galactica - Who Shuffled These?
Who Shuffled These?
At my FLGS I have been bringing Battlestar for the last few sessions. It is popular and fits in with the crowd, although most are Warhammer 40K players (I am trying to convert them to more boardgames).
This was a six player game with four players having had 2-3 games and 2 having never played before. Surprisingly enough, most players have not seen the show (with some only starting to watch due to playing the game). I quickly explained the concept, went over turn order, talked about reveling and cylon strategies, and we started.
Players
President Laura Roslin (Me)
Admiral Adama
Apollo
Helo
Chief
Starbuck
I am not a cylon
The game starts our normally, with the pilots taking off to blast cylons. Adama is being played by Matt (he runs the store) and he is sneaky, so I am automatically suspicious of him. Getting into the spirit of the game, one of the new players immediately accuses everyone of being a cylon. This seems to make the cylon nervous and he lays low. Skill checks pass and there is no indication of a cylon in our midst. I am always suspicious of Adama (Matt) but we are jumping well, and he even gets the event card that moves us one space.
So far, we have been getting through our events fairly well, passing most of them but losing some population and food along the way.
Near disaster strikes. Someone pulls one of the cylon Attack Crisis cards. I go next and pull 2 Attack crisis cards. All of a sudden space is full of cylons and we are in trouble. At that moment the Chief revels, hoping to put the nail in the coffin. We jump at -3 and barely make it out, heading to the sleeper phase.
After the sleeper phase, things go fairly quietly, until the cylon uses his Super Crisis card to put some pressure on us. We make it through somehow getting to 8 distance with our population down to 2. Through the last few rounds, a bunch of "President loses skill cards or lose population/food" have been coming up, resulting in me having 3 turns with no skill cards. As a result, when I pull up the next "President discard 3 skill cards or lose two population", I have no choice, we lose 2 population and humans lose. Anti climatic to say the least.
A string of Cylon Attack Crisis cards and then a string of "President discards.." events. Who shuffled these?
Anyone else think it unusual to have a cylon revel before the sleeper phase?
At my FLGS I have been bringing Battlestar for the last few sessions. It is popular and fits in with the crowd, although most are Warhammer 40K players (I am trying to convert them to more boardgames).
This was a six player game with four players having had 2-3 games and 2 having never played before. Surprisingly enough, most players have not seen the show (with some only starting to watch due to playing the game). I quickly explained the concept, went over turn order, talked about reveling and cylon strategies, and we started.
Players
President Laura Roslin (Me)
Admiral Adama
Apollo
Helo
Chief
Starbuck
I am not a cylon
The game starts our normally, with the pilots taking off to blast cylons. Adama is being played by Matt (he runs the store) and he is sneaky, so I am automatically suspicious of him. Getting into the spirit of the game, one of the new players immediately accuses everyone of being a cylon. This seems to make the cylon nervous and he lays low. Skill checks pass and there is no indication of a cylon in our midst. I am always suspicious of Adama (Matt) but we are jumping well, and he even gets the event card that moves us one space.
So far, we have been getting through our events fairly well, passing most of them but losing some population and food along the way.
Near disaster strikes. Someone pulls one of the cylon Attack Crisis cards. I go next and pull 2 Attack crisis cards. All of a sudden space is full of cylons and we are in trouble. At that moment the Chief revels, hoping to put the nail in the coffin. We jump at -3 and barely make it out, heading to the sleeper phase.
After the sleeper phase, things go fairly quietly, until the cylon uses his Super Crisis card to put some pressure on us. We make it through somehow getting to 8 distance with our population down to 2. Through the last few rounds, a bunch of "President loses skill cards or lose population/food" have been coming up, resulting in me having 3 turns with no skill cards. As a result, when I pull up the next "President discard 3 skill cards or lose two population", I have no choice, we lose 2 population and humans lose. Anti climatic to say the least.
A string of Cylon Attack Crisis cards and then a string of "President discards.." events. Who shuffled these?
Anyone else think it unusual to have a cylon revel before the sleeper phase?
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