Wednesday, May 25, 2011

I have seen places...

I feel as if I am writing after having been exiled in Kirkwall for a second time, shackled by responsibilities no one should have: the consequences of a hero. My fingers ache with the constant quiver of energy required to Ki force rock guitar witches into submission. And, my heart glows with the sparkle of the sun on distant streams of water as I reach into flames, pick them up, and lob them at a pack of ravenous wolves about to leap at me. My hiatus has been one full of worlds not yet experienced. Some of them look beautiful, other's draw you as a blue haired, big eyed, anime, but all of them offer rich, imaginitive experiences (I wouldn't settle for anything less).

It is true that some games require a little more imagination to make them marvelous then others. Two Worlds (the original) is such a case. As far as the game is concerned the storyline is something that you simply must fill the gaps in yourself. Though somewhat creative it is horribly told by voice actors who sound like He-man characters reciting shakespeare. The game world, however, is rich and beautiful enough to let you make your own story. What lies in that forest, over that hill, in that castle, across the water, is entirely up to you. As you wander the land you can almost forget your voice acting is ridiculous as long as your curousity is intact. It is an open, lovely place, and the voice acting does ensure one thing: The game has little to know swearing or mature content, which, for a fantasy that aspires to this scope, is a lovely thing.

Dragon Age 2 (again) is a game that requires little effort on your part to enjoy the writing. It is a well written interactive adventure that really hits you well with late game consequences. It is one of the first games in a fantasy setting that I can recall to have hit the chord of political intrigue so well. You never leave the city and its surrounding area, you simply focus on the unfolding drama there. A creative, well told story.
Guilty Gear X2 struck me as one of the best fighting games I never played from an era I barely remember. Crisp and fluid animations, zany, interesting characters (who are sometimes jaw-droppingly beautiful in their anime-ness) come alive and fight with combos, counters, and everything that makes fighting games great. And the execution is masterful. A satisfying six dollars to GOG.com!

A game for far more money didn't disappoint either. Steam released Portal 2 in the month of May. This game shines with character, characters, and style. From the first moments of the game to the last you will be intrigued by the setting and charmed by the characters. This is one of my favorite games, and together with its sequel one of the best ideas for a game I have ever experienced. With an almight portal gun and an almost anonymous character you interact with the world via tests and puzzles, some of which have unforeseen conclusions, all while the mystery of the portal gun's inventors (and their demise) is solved. I dream of teleportation, and this game delivers a setting where it is your only method of victory. Above it all, this game somehow remains clean and E rated in all it's depth.

Opposingly, neither the Witcher nor the Witcher 2 were meant for families. These games are more of a personal conviction, a novel that should be read and passed to the worthy player. These games offer a world that is uncensored in its themes and presentation. As such I can't recommend these games to moral and sensitive people in any of their available forms. I won't play them without a large dose of editing and a preparation of personal meditation and reflection before hand. You will hear every swear word, see unedited breasts, and fight gruesome battles. Why play? The story, the tone, the world is one of, if not the most, refreshing in the ages of Role playing and you feel immersed in it. You feel part of it. This is a place where you truly become the main character, and in a roleplaying game that is the ultimate request. These games are very, very well written. The potential to express  your morality and ideals is ever present, but the repurcussions ruthless. When no one is perfect is helping them ever a good thing? This game makes you ask yourself if being kind is really what you want to do. It removes all game-conventional forms of reciprocation. You choose to be good merely because you are a good person, regardless. You become a character in a world that you are inextricably a part of, and these are flawed humanoids you are dealing with.
*sigh*
Some great places to visit, up there, and some marvelous ways to do it. Journey well.