Games

Playing a quick (ha!) round last night before bed.  I’m watching my message panel, and the following goodies blink by.

Judaism has been founded in a distant land!

Hapshepsut has adopted Slavery!

Me:   …

Awesome.

Today’s Penny Arcade may long hold a place in my heart.  I’ve been feeling more like this lately - out of touch with the modern gamer, despite my assertion that I am, in fact, a gamer.  I’d say that I’ve been a gamer since I was 4 years old in 1981 and started playing Dungeon on the family’s Apple.

I just don’t know much longer I can do it.  I’ve accepted that out of the “next-generation” consoles, I will probably get the Wii and that’s about it.  Games like White Knight Story make me feel funny in special places, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m looking at it and saying “OK, let’s get real.  $600 for the console, another $60-80 for the game, and the TV in your office isn’t even hi-def.  You’re insane.”

And I’m coming to accept that.  Emulation has been my saving grace.  I can now play Bard’s Tale until my eyes fall out on any platform in the house, and it doesn’t matter.  Amiga games?  You bet.  Apple 2?  Damn straight.  Feeling self-abusive and up to giving Wizardry 4 a try?  Hey, therapy is part of my medical package.

But what brought this on, you say?  I was looking at the minimum specs for Neverwinter Nights 2.  I may have been subvocalizing them as I read, but as I read them, I swear I could hear my game PC, and it was crying like a child in front of a puppy that had been smashed by a hammer.  It was bad.

So my latest gaming edition in the Playstation 2 version of Koei’s Dynasty Warriors 5. I don’t know what it is about this series, but they’re endlessly entertaining to me. I’ve heard some people complain that the games are just more of the same every time they come out, but I have to agree with Chris on this one — basically we’re just after a graphics update and some roster additions, so what makes this so different from all those copies of Madden that get sold every year?

At least with this, you can read the book that inspired it all: Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

So I’ve picked up a new toy. It’s insane, I’ve lost any semblage of free time that I might have ever had, and it’s all the fault of Crusader Kings by Paradox. This is the new sweetness by the same people responsible for titles like Hearts of Iron, Victoria, and Europa Universalis I & II, and it manages to so thoroughly rock my world that I suspect that they have been watching my sleep and mining my dreams for valuable, delicious prizes that have a market demographic of just me.

I’ll confess that when it comes to the games, I do have a delicious streak of the old-school in me. I’ve found DOS emulators that let me play Ultima V at real speed. When it comes to older games, I love them. I love them like fat kids love cake.

So when presented with a game which combines my undying love for medieval history with a game which is at least more turn-based than anything that people like to call strategy these days, I was instantly hooked. The game has a great medieval feel to it, capturing the diplomatic quagmire that was the feudal system. You can end up in a situation where you know you want to kick the living shit out of the guy in the next county, but if you do, you’ll have the King of Italy coming down on your ass with about 50,000 irate clones of Mario Vitale who all have far more impressive toys than a Henckels kitchen knife with which to menace your peasantry.

All in all, it’s quite the impressive game. So far as the Duchy of Bavaria, I’ve seen my fortunes wax and wane and finally wax again, as I’ve built up enough of a war chest to be able to front a decent campaign against pagan tribes in the Crimea. I came back from two generations of sickly rulers to have a decent one, Folkmar von Nordheim, who can actually get things done without fear of death or insanity. A relatively quick strike gave me three counties, and the followup attacks netted me 4 more. I was then able to create the titles of Duke of Wallachia and Duke of Moldau for myself, sending my prestige through the roof. My great-uncle Kuno von Nordheim, Bishop of Salzburg was even elected Pope, which then allowed me to become Papal Controller once I had sufficient prestige.

But of course, all good things must come to an end. Folkmar took a wound while fighting in North Africa and died a few months later, leaving his 11-year old son Konrad in charge, which is where I sit right now. You lose your prestige, you lose your piety; all I’ve got left is land and money, which can build both items up in time, provided that none of my bastard uncles decide to press their claims on the Duchy.

Sleep? What’s sleep when there are territories to conquer? Why, with enough luck, I could be King of North Africa by next week!

So I realize that I haven’t updated in forever. Mea culpa. It’s been busy, and I finally landed a job, which has eaten up most of my time by keeping me on a very odd schedule. Can’t complain, though, because the money is good and the stress is low. Not a bad way to go, really.

Otherwise, in my copious free time, I’ve gotten hooked on a few new games. Pretty decent stuff coming out lately, it’s pretty amazing. I just have flashbacks to around 1996 when it seems like nothing coming out was good. No RPGs, no decent strategy titles, just shovelfuls of first-person crap shooters. Wow, the times they are a-changin’ and for the better.

Homeworld 2 - the graphics. Oh my GOD the graphics. Just stunning. I have this odd fetish I need to confess - I love watching starships and the like go kablooey. Nothing much makes me happier than watching a huge chunk of space-travellin’ battleship go fwoom with the assistance of whatever insane graphics card I currently have. It’s awesome. Oh, you mean there’s a game behind all the explosions? Hey, go figure. The game is insanely hard compared to the original, but it’s still fairly high quality. This has been somewhat on the back burner lately thanks to a couple of other titles.

Disgaea - ah, the tactical RPG. Since none of the major companies really seems very interested in a classical RPG anymore (although there is still some hope), I’m left seeking shelter in the realm of the tactical RPG. Thankfully this one is pretty f’n amazing. The character animations are good, the voice acting is phenomenal, and the overall sense of humour present in the game allows me to unabashedly sit down and enjoy the daylights out of this title. It just owns in so many ways I run out of things to say about it. Although killer penguins and the phrase “nin nin!” are now parts of my life and will NEVER leave their endless loop in my head.

Fire Emblem - this is another great tactical RPG. It’s a tad more simple than most of the tactical RPG’s I’ve played, but the simplicity belies a surprising depth to the sheer amount of gameplay available in this title. I’m only a little ways into it so far, but I’m very impressed with what I’m seeing so far. I’m looking forward to getting further into this game.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - ah yes, the great granddaddy of them all. I have to confess that I’ve lost days of my life to the original game. It’s simple, compelling, addictive, maddening and all the rest. The successor is nearly everything the original was, given the available resources of the GBA platform compared to the PlayStation. The law system can be frustrating, but adds a little challenge to a game that overall feels a bit easier than the original.

I suppose that’s all for now. As I’m working overnights now, I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say. Thanks.

I’ve just acquired the newest Dynasty Warriors game this last week. The concept, I think, just should not work in an American market. But it does.
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