Games what I have been playing (part 2)

We're in the traditional summer drought as far as games go but there have been a few interesting releases.

1) Overlord 2

I completed this yesterday and I do really like it. It has moved on a little from Overlord 1 in that it's less of a freeform RPG type thing. You move from area to area to area, there's a definite plot this time round and so on. This is good/bad if you ask me. I liked the general directionless evil the first game reveled in but there is a reasonable plot this time round as well as actual characters rather than standard fantasy archetypes.

As far as the rest of the game goes - everything's been tweaked. The graphics are better, the RPG elements are slightly better thought out... there are a few extra features like mounts for your minions which are entertaining if a little pointless.

What does annoy me slightly is- the moral decisions you take this time around are not to kill or not to kill, it's to dominate or to kill. To dominate someone, you use an evil presence spell until they lose their willpower and follow you unquestioningly. This may have been a good idea on paper but in practice, it's unclear which of these two options is more evil. As the game is supposed to be a cartoonish entertaining romp whilst being evil in many different ways, moral ambiguity doesn't quite fit in.

Anyway, it's not perfect, there are more than a few bugs as well as the above issues but I did really like it. I think I probably enjoyed the first one more as it was fresher but if you have to play one of these games, this sequel is probably the one to go for. And I do really recommend playing them, by the way, there's nothing else really like them at the moment.


2) Call of Juarez 2 - Bound In Blood

I've been faintly interested in this game for a while. I never played the first one but the previews all made it seem fairly interesting. I loaded it up this morning, though, and hit several roadblocks straight away.

I) The game is set in the American Civil War and your character passionately believes in the Confederate cause.

Morally, this puts them slightly above someone fighting passionately to preserve the Third Reich. I know the south weren't as bad as the Nazis but they were pretty fucking bad.


II) You can't turn the auto aiming off.

Thankfully, there is only auto aiming when you're using two pistols (for single pistols and rifles, it's normal) but it's still really, really fucking annoying when your cross hair follows an enemy literally half way across the screen. I'm playing on a PC, guys, I don't need you to aim for me, I have a mouse.


III) The engine feels artificial

This is harder to define - when your character walks around, you keep getting stuck on things that you should be clearing with no trouble... your sight line is a little bit low... it feels like you're playing a really short, fat guy. Everything feels really artificial.


So yeah. I don't like it.


3) Trine

I've only played the demo of this but it's a highly entertaining 2-D puzzle platformer thing. The graphics are lovely, the music is entertaining and it has three player local co-op which is fucking fantastic.

If you have a mate who lives near you who enjoys his games, get them around and try it out, it's great fun.


4) Unreal Tournament 3

I got this as part of the Unreal pack that I got mainly for Unreal 2 - which was one of my favourite games of yesteryear. Miracle of miracles, though, I actually found it quite entertaining. The single player game, this is. It may have great multiplayer but I don't really care.

The single player campaign has a ridiculous plot and over acted cut scenes. However, that puts it several dozen places above Half Life 2, for example, because at least Unreal Tournament 3 does have a plot. It's also got a clearly defined antagonist, goals and relationships for the player... you know, all that stuff HL2 dramatically failed to have.

It's not actually that fun, though. Warfare (territory control) is quite fun but UT3 seems to be really, really convinced that 21st century players enjoy Capture the Flag. I don't. I have never liked Capture the Flag and as I have grown older, my contempt for it has only increased.

There are also straight death matches, which are fun in a vague way.

Part of the problem is the guns - they're just not very fun. The minigun is entertaining but all the other guns lack feel and character.

One good side to UT3, though, is the vehicles, which are imaginative and often genuinely awesome.

UT3 is often good in spite of itself. I would never recommend actually buying it - partly because Epic are dicks who have all ready made far too much money from a vastly over rated game but mostly because the vast majority of the game is pretty damn underwhelming. Occasionally it puts a smile on your face but far too infrequently to be worth it. If someone buys it for you, though, enjoy.

5) Blueberry Garden

This is another of those indie games I like. It's an odd one. You play a bird/man thing who is in charge of this huge garden thing. You can pick up fruit from one location and leave it somewhere else and it'll grow. If you eat fruit, it will affect you or the landscape. Some make you fly more efficiently, some cause earthquakes. But in a good way.

It's a very hard one to describe. I did enjoy the time I spent playing it, but I have no idea why. The gameplay itself is basic at best. The graphics are good, the music is absolutely fantastic...

The best thing you can do is check out the demo, really.