We had another couple of snow days over the last week, so I
found more than the usual amount of time to play some games! Indeed, over the
weekend, I did little else…
I started by playing This War of Mine. I’d been aware of it
for a few years and always wanted to give it a try. It’s a 2D survival game
based on the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, where you control a group of
refugees who shelter in an abandoned building, and have to build amenities for
themselves there as well as scavenge the city for salvage and food. The
characters have requirements that need to be met, such as the need to sleep and
eat; this aspect reminds me of the Sims. It’s a far darker game than that,
though. It is necessary to go out in the night to try to acquire food, medicine
and materials. Depending on where and who you take these things from will
affect how the characters feel about it: Taking medicine from an abandoned
cottage is one thing, but if you take medicine from the hospital where people
legitimately need it, your characters will feel awful. It’s got permadeath as
well: if one of your characters dies, that’s it; they’re not coming back. They
may be replaced later but that character is gone.
 |
| Even the house you live in is bleak... |
The coverage I’ve seen on This War of Mine prepared me for a
bleak experience, and the aesthetic, art style and subject matter certainly fit
that interpretation. The game handles well as a “point and click,” although
I’ve yet to experience any combat. It’s a compelling game, certainly, but I’m
not sure if I’m actually enjoying it, or just have a compulsive need to find
out what happens next and how it works out for the characters in the shelter.
Nonetheless, it’s interesting to play a war game from the point of view of the
people affected by it, and perhaps we should entertain some time and patience
to appreciate the conflict it showcases. In this day and age in the UK it’s
easy to write war off as something that happens to other people, but for some,
what this game depicts is very real. There’s no glamour, no heroism. Depending
on whether or not you are able to do what is necessary, you either survive or
you don’t.
I had a go at Enclave, an RPG I previously owned on the
original Xbox but didn’t get very far with. I didn’t get very far with it this
week either; the graphics and initial gameplay aren’t exactly inspiring and
while most RPGs need progressing past the first hour or so before they’re any
good, there were other games I could have been playing in that time.
Like Mordheim: City of the Damned! I’m still thoroughly
enjoying playing this as the Possessed warband, and I managed to beat the first
Campaign mission – no mean feat, as I usually struggle against the Sisters of
Sigmar. I’m still discovering new things about the game, like the fact that
Impressive heroes are available from the first campaign mission you beat, but
to actually hire them, you have to click on a slot that’s in a group of three
and doesn’t currently have any other warrior in there. I’m having a fine old
time rampaging around with a Chaos Spawn!
 |
| Let's face it: This looks cool. |
Finally, I played Max Payne 3. From the size and complexity
of most games released in the last ten years, it is rare indeed that I can play
through one in an entire weekend, but I managed it with Max Payne 3! I’d played
the previous games on the Playstation 2 years ago, and there weren’t many
surprises here in terms of game mechanics, but it’s a beautifully-presented
game and is very much driven by the plot. I enjoyed the Bullet-time mechanic
again, and the Last Man Standing sections – where you take enough damage to
die, but if you have any healing items left, you get a few seconds to shoot the
guy who killed you to use an item and carry on – were a welcome addition. Check
out my full review later in the week, and I’ll tell you more!
No comments:
Post a Comment